Christmas & Chill
by silenceeverything
Summary: Oneshot series chronicling the lives of Hanna and Caleb during Christmas spanning 10 years of their relationship. Sequel to Signs and prequel to Growth. Haleb with appearances from the liars and baby Logan! Semi-canon, rated T/M.
1. Santa Tell Me

**Yeah, I know, I haven't updated anything for a while - what am I doing posting another story? Well, this one is centred all around Christmas so I can only really post it in December, if not you guys will have to wait another year soooooo...**

 **Inspired by pretty much every single Christmas song Ariana Grande has ever sung, this is a Growth prequel / Signs sequel that will tie those two worlds together and cover about 10 different Christmases in Hanna and Caleb's life (semi-canon of course with 6B considered).**

 **Updates should be pretty quick because there are a few different years to cover and not much time before 2017... Enjoy below and please review...**

* * *

 **Santa Tell Me**

 _Santa, tell me if you're really there_

 _Don't make me fall in love again if he won't be here next year_

 _Santa, tell me if he really cares_

 _'Cause I can't give it all away if he won't be here next year_

* * *

 **2010**

"Do you think they'll make me wear an orange jumpsuit?"

Caleb looked up from his phone to find his girlfriend pouting at him imploringly with a concerned, yet nonchalant look on her face. "I don't know," He shrugged, a sly smile gracing his face as he made his way over to her bed and slowly climbed on top, making his way towards her. "They're pretty hot though," He murmured, lying down on his side as she shuffled closer.

"No they're not," Hanna grinned, toying with his t-shirt as she propped her head in her hand.

Caleb bit his lip as his voice dropped to a hushed whisper, "But you're pretty hot."

"Am I?"

"Uh huh," He nodded, his hand dropping to her waist as his mouth ducked down to capture hers. She sighed against his mouth contently, tilting her head to the side slightly as his tongue probed the seam of her lips for access. After everything that had happened over the past week, kissing her boyfriend was the only place Hanna Marin wanted to be.

"Mhm," She moaned against his mouth, running her hands up into his hair as he started to roll her onto her back, his hands dipping underneath her top and setting her skin on fire.

"Oh my God."

They both sprang apart as the voice of Emily Fields cut through the silence. "Em," Hanna held a hand to her thumping chest as she fought to catch her breath, "What the hell?" She asked as she watched Caleb try to subtly wipe his mouth out of the corner of her eye.

"I need to get some stuff," She rolled her eyes, "All my clothes are here," She added as Hanna continued to stare at her like she was talking a foreign language, "And I don't want to be in sweats on Christmas Day."

"Finally," Hanna muttered under her breath, shooting Emily a coy smile when she whipped her head round to shoot her a look. "Are you excited for Christmas with your Mom and Dad?"

"They have to fly back to Texas on Boxing Day," She huffed, shoving clothes into her hold all.

"Hey," Caleb held his hands up, "At least you have some."

"And two more days is better than none," Hanna added, her eyebrows raised hopefully.

Emily paused and looked over at both of them, shooting Caleb a small conciliatory smile as his words sunk in, "Sorry," She muttered, "I thought you'd be in Cali by now," She commented, trying to deflect the conversation away from her.

"I wanted to be here," He said softly, glancing behind him as he felt Hanna's hand grace his lower back. "Still doesn't quite feel natural over there," He murmured, looking down at the ground.

"But he's abandoning me for New Year," Hanna pulled a face and flopped back on the bed in a humph, "The first year I have a New Years kiss and it's ripped away from me."

Caleb and Emily shared a look, both rolling their eyes at Hanna's dramatics, "Because we have invites to so many parties this year," Emily remarked sarcastically, zipping up her bag.

"Can we still get drunk?" Hanna pouted.

"We just took a plea bargain for tampering with evidence, Hanna."

"So no alcohol and no kiss – is there a worse way to start a new year?"

"In a jumpsuit?" Caleb supposed.

"Ha-ha."

"Right," Emily interrupted them, "I'm going," She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Wait," Hanna jumped up and raced over to her, "Happy Christmas Em," She said, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Happy Christmas Han," Emily replied, "Three days til we're doing community service," She shook her head, "Can this Christmas get any worse?"

"At least we have each other," Hanna tried, letting go of her so that she could give Caleb a quick hug.

"You're right," The brunette sighed, "And that's what it's about right?"

"Exactly," She smiled, "Did you see my Mom?" She asked, following her down the stairs as Emily headed for the exit.

"Her car's not on the drive," Emily answered, pulling open the front door.

"Oh."

"She said she was running to the shop quickly," Caleb commented, folding his arms as he leant against the doorway.

"Your decorations are seriously poor," Emily walked back a few steps to take in the front of the Marin's house.

"We didn't have a lot to be cheerful for," Hanna bit her lip and looked awkwardly out of the corner of her eye.

"It's Christmas, Hanna."

"We didn't have a man to put them up?"

"I'm right here," Caleb said.

Emily laughed, "Bye guys," She called, heading towards her bike that she'd dumped at the end of the driveway. "I'll be back in two days."

"Bye!" Hanna yelled, taking a step outside to take in the front of her house. "Are they really that bad?" She asked, frowning at the fairy lights that made absolutely no impact in daylight.

Caleb followed her, pulling his hands out of his pockets to drag her back towards the doorway, "I like this one," He murmured, looking up above him at the sprig of mistletoe that was stuck to the frame.

"Me too," Hanna managed to get out before his lips were being pushed down onto hers. Maybe this Christmas wasn't so bad after all; she was here, for the first time ever, celebrating with her boyfriend who was kissing the living daylights out of her on the front porch. Even if she'd just been sentenced to a month's community service and her Dad had married her wicked stepmom and Dr. Sullivan was missing… even then she had her Mom and she had Caleb. She felt like she could get through anything if she knew he was going to be here, both now and forever. "We…" She pulled back, trying to get a sentence out before he managed to steal her mouth again.

They jumped apart again at the sound of a car turning into the driveway. "We should go inside," She laughed, burying her head against his shoulder.

"We should go help your Mom," He grinned, stepping away from her and leaving her standing there trying to hide her smile. She watched him take a brown grocery bag from her Mom before he was racing past her inside and out of the cold, with Ashley locking the car and following his path.

"I didn't need to see that," Ashley murmured as she walked past her daughter.

"We were under the mistletoe," She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I can't not kiss him."

"But you can avoid eating his face."

"Hey," Hanna shut the door behind them, "It was classy."

"I know that he's staying here sweetheart, but my mind doesn't need to run."

"Noted," She rolled her eyes, "What's for dinner?"

"It's 4pm…"

"On Christmas Eve," Hanna shot her Mom a look, "I started my Christmas diet two months ago so that I could eat as much as possible for 48 hours and not feel guilty about it."

"We can cook something," Caleb offered, having heard the tail end of their conversation. "Do you have like, a tradition or anything?"

Hanna sighed, taking a seat at the kitchen island, "When my Dad was here we used to always make lasagna," She said, "And Grandma and Uncle Patrick would beg for us to put chilies in it," She added, "But we never did."

Ashley smiled at her as she put some of the groceries away, "We haven't done that for a couple of years."

"We can make it," He said adamantly, "I swear you have a lasagna box in this cupboard," He moved across towards the one near the fridge.

"I don't know," Hanna mumbled quietly.

"I'm going to go and freshen up," Ashley smiled knowingly, "Why don't you two decide exactly what you want to cook whilst I'm gone?"

She left before either of them could answer, leaving Caleb staring at Hanna with a questioning look on his face. He knew her – she _never_ turned down the opportunity to make food, let alone eat it. "Hey," He started, moving round to her, "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"It's Christmas, Han," He started, tilting his head at her, "You're supposed to be happy," He said, " _And_ hungry."

"I just don't want to start anything again," She trailed off.

"Start a tradition?"

"Just… anything," She shrugged, moving towards the fridge away from him.

"Hanna," He started, taking a breath before he took a couple of steps over towards her, "I told you I'm not going anywhere," He murmured, stroking her shoulder comfortingly.

"I know."

"I mean it," He turned her around and pulled her into his arms, "You know my Mom asked me to go to California." She nodded in understanding, "But before all of this stupid stuff happened with the police and your Dad, I'd already decided this was where I wanted to be."

"What if my Mom had said no?"

"Really?" Caleb raised an eyebrow. "She loves me."

"She does," Hanna smiled, cuddling into him, "I just…"

"We can start our own tradition," He suggested as she nodded. "We'll make whatever you want," He said, "With no fighting included."

Hanna sighed and craned her neck for a gentle kiss. "Have you two decided?" Ashley asked as she reappeared.

" _Mom!_ "

"What?" She shrugged, heading towards the kettle. "Tea?"

"We're making pizza," Hanna shook her head.

"No lasagna?" Ashley raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter and simply watching the two of them move around one another.

"No," She smiled, "It's time for something new."

Ashley pursed her lips and fought a grin, before turning to her cup of tea and focusing on the boiling water, "Pizza it is." She waited to make sure they had everything under control before she retreated to the living room, setting herself up in front of the Christmas tree and waiting for the pair of them to produce something edible for dinner. And when they placed a semi-burnt pizza in front of her and then sat down themselves with one to share, she knew inviting Caleb to stay with them for his first Christmas in Rosewood was the best decision she'd made in a long time.

Together they watched some nondescript Christmas program on the TV as the darkness settled around them outside, before Ashley glanced at the clock that was sitting on the mantelpiece above the three stockings hanging down and deciding it was time she finally excused herself. "Hanna," She started, trying to not glance at the hand that squeezed her daughter's thigh. "Help me clear this up."

"Okay," She agreed, detangling her limbs from Caleb's and grabbing the empty plates from the floor.

"Night Caleb," Ashley said, reaching for her empty mug, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," He replied, sitting up slightly as his eyes followed them as they left the room.

"Are you going to bed?" Hanna asked, dumping the plates in the sink.

"I am," She agreed, filling a glass of water, "Don't stay up too late," She said, "Or else Santa won't come."

"We won't," She reassured her, moving over to give her a hug, "Happy Christmas Mom," She whispered.

Ashley held her tight, taking in the moment before she couldn't stop the words that were about to leave her mouth, "He can stay in your room tonight."

Hanna couldn't help it as her teeth toyed with her bottom lip, "Thank you."

"Do not get on the naughty list. See you in the morning."

Hanna kept her Mom's last minute gift to herself, cuddling up to Caleb under a blanket for a couple more hours before they both made the decision it was time to go to bed. Hanna tried to stop the butterflies in her stomach from fluttering madly, but when Caleb stopped her outside her bedroom door and pushed her gently against the wall before dropping his mouth onto hers, she knew there was no point fighting them.

"I love you," He eventually pulled back and whispered. She felt the butterflies trying to escape.

"Come in," She murmured, tugging him towards her room.

"I can't," He tried, glancing down the hallway towards Ashley's room.

"You can," She reassured him, "She said we can."

"I'm sorry, your Mom said we could have sex?"

"No," She laughed and shook her head, "She said you can stay in my room."

"But no sex?" He pulled a face before shushing her as she laughed louder than intended.

"Definitely sex," She muttered, dragging him into her room and closing the door behind her, "But," She paused, stealing a kiss, "Only if…"

He kissed her again, "If what?"

She ran her hands into his hair, "If you're here next year too."

"And every year after," Caleb whispered, guiding her back towards the bed. They fell back onto her bed, lips connecting and limbs already tangling as their fingers already began to roam. "Traditions are meant to be kept," He said gently, pausing to stroke a piece of hair behind her ear.

She stared into his eyes, ignoring the reflection of the fairy lights wrapped around her headboard. She was so in love with him. Her Christmas wish was already coming true.

"Lets start a new one," She replied, before they were ridding clothes and climbing under covers, creating their _very own_ Christmas tradition. She could tick one thing off her list.

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 **Reviewwwwwwwww xox**


	2. Wit It This Christmas

**Yassssss more Christmas Haleb coming right up... I told you updates would be quick right? We've got a few more years to get through.**

 **So for those of you who don't know, How the A Stole Christmas is my pretty much my favourite pll episode of all time, aside from the boxers scene. I mean Mar, what were you thinking? This is my attempt at trying to save that dire 30 seconds whilst also looping a few scenes up and trying to justify why the girls wouldn't spend Christmas with their parents in said parents were still in Rosewood?! Only in an A universe. It was tough - there's not much you're working with when Caleb is standing in Santa boxers next to his former TEACHER. Anyway...**

 **I LOVE HALEB AT CHRISTMAS AND IN 5X13. Enjoy...**

* * *

 **Wit It This Christmas**

 _We don't need no presents_

 _We don't need the kitchen_

 _We don't need them recipes_

 _You know I'm tasty like a candy cane or gingerbread made with love_

* * *

 **2011**

"This is… not… what I expected," Caleb muttered, raising his eyebrows as he lifted the lid off an antique pot on the windowsill that looked like it hadn't been dusted properly in a year. Only Spencer Hasting's parents would decorate one of their guest rooms like something out of a Jane Austen novel.

"What?" Hanna asked distractedly, glancing down at her phone as she perched on the edge of a double bed.

Caleb turned to look at her and paused, chewing on his lower lip as he took her in. He thought she looked incredible, like the only gift he'd ever wanted, as she sat there still in the gown she'd worn to the DiLaurentis' Christmas Eve ball. "What's up?" He made his way over. "Does your head still hurt?" He asked worriedly, a small frown furrowing across his forehead.

"No," She looked up at him and smiled, stroking the hand that reached out to cup her cheek.

"Do you wanna go home?" He murmured softly, trying not to feel any hurt as she turned her cheek away from him and reached down to pull off her heels instead. After everything they'd been through since his return from Rosewood, the thought of her shutting herself off from him hurt _a lot_.

"No," She shot him a smile again, standing up once she'd ditched her shoes and making her way over to the wooden vanity that sat in the corner of Spencer's guestroom.

"Is your Mom okay?" He asked, following his earlier path back to the windowsill where he stood and watched the snow swirl to the ground. It was horrible outside; they'd been lucky to make it back to Spencer's before the roads really did become impassable.

"She's fine," Hanna answered simply, pulling out her earrings. "I know we saw her earlier but it's just weird," She started, "Not being at home on Christmas Eve."

"I'm serious," He took the few steps towards her, his hands dipping down onto her shoulders and running up and down the top of her arms, "We can go back to yours."

"We can't," She shook her head, "It's too dangerous." He wasn't certain if she was talking about A or the snow, but either way he could see the fight in her eyes. "I've already lost more than one person this year," She muttered, "I'm not gonna lose another."

He stayed silent, his hands dropping onto her waist as he leant down and pressed a gentle kiss against her exposed neck, "I need help," He whispered, his lips following a trail down to her shoulder where he stopped and looked up to connect their eyes again. There was nothing he could say to take her mind off Mona… off Alison… he'd have to _do_ something instead. Even if it did feel all weird knowing that their friends were in rooms on either side of them.

"With what?" She asked, reaching her fingers up to tangle with his.

"Keeping up a tradition," He added, reaching for the zipper at the side of her white lace dress.

"It's late," She teased him, "We can't cook pizza now."

"That was good pizza," He murmured, encouraging her to stand up and turn her body towards him as he walked them backwards slowly towards the bed. "But I was talking about something else," He said, sitting himself down on the mattress before she stood in between his legs. "It's Christmas, Han," He added as he felt her mood ebb again. She turned to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, "We're together."

"I know," She sighed, cutting off anything else he was going to say. He looked up at her, pursing his lips as he waited for her to say something else… anything else. He could tell her mind was whirring, but finally, she opened her mouth, "You're hot," She mumbled, placing her mouth on his.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow teasingly, amused by the change in subject. She nodded and he grinned, "So are you," He said, running his hand up her waist, "White lace..." He trailed off, tugging on the strap of her dress with his teeth.

"It's not the only white lace," She whispered as her face hovered over his, her lips so close to his that when she spoke they ghosted over his.

He kissed her, unable to hold out any longer. She sensed the urgency, felt the familiar stirrings as his tongue probed into her mouth. She surrendered to him, letting him reveal every scrap of white lace that was on her body. It was only their second Christmas together, but as the snow pelted against the window and Caleb began to worship her body, Hanna knew it was the only Christmas tradition she wanted to keep up.

* * *

"Merry Christmas."

Hanna let out a small moan as she felt an arm wrap around her naked waist and as she came to it took a moment to realise where she was. The dusty floral pattern on the wallpaper and the old antique furniture could only mean one thing – she was at Spencer's. And the hand around her waist… well, there was only one person who she went to bed with the previous night.

"Merry Christmas," She murmured back, rolling onto her back before pulling the covers up to her neck.

"Cold?" Caleb mumbled as he encouraged her closer to him. Hanna nodded but didn't speak, smiling slightly when he slowly dipped his head for a morning kiss. As much as Hanna wished she was waking up in her own bed on Christmas morning, there was something amazing about being able to lie there with Caleb without worrying if her Mom was going to come barging in, asking them what they wanted for breakfast before realizing their state of undress. "Do you think Santa's come?" He teased her, his cold fingers ghosting over her waist underneath the duvet.

"Not for you," She replied, looking up at him. He raised his eyebrows questioningly and she couldn't help the grin the graced her face, "You were naughty last night," She reminded him, giving him another kiss.

"So were you," He said simply, trying not to think _too_ hard about what exactly they'd gotten up to the night before. Even if they weren't in Hanna's childhood home, their friends were either in the room next-door or downstairs…

They stared at each other, silently deliberating whether they had time to do _anything_ before Hanna's phone started vibrating, answering and ending every question they had, "It's my Mom," She said, rolling back onto her side and holding the comforter to her chest as she sat up and answered it. "Hey Mom," She smiled, trying to ignore the hand Caleb couldn't resist running up and down her bare exposed back. "Happy Christmas."

Caleb simply watched her, half-hearing bits of Ashley's voice; half too distracted by his girlfriend's skin that was just begging him to touch and kiss it. Coming back from Ravenswood for her was the best decision he'd made that year. Leaving her in the first place was the worst. "Are you sure you don't want us to come back?"

Caleb sat up too at Hanna's question – he'd thought they'd wake up at Spencer's and then wander back up through Rosewood to the Marin's house to spend Christmas Day with Ashley and Ted. He leant forward and kissed Hanna's shoulder as she gave her love down the phone and then hung up, "What did she say?" He asked, frowning when she climbed out of bed and made her way over to her bag.

"Can you stop checking me out?" She muttered, well aware his eyes were roaming her body.

"I just spent the night with you naked?" He quirked his brow, watching as she pulled on a red and black plaid onesie.

"My Mom says it's too dangerous to head back to hers." She said casually, walking back to his side of the bed to give him another kiss, "I'm going downstairs."

Caleb didn't have a chance to respond before she was heading straight out the bedroom door, leaving him lying there with a minor problem that he'd hoped they'd be able to rectify together. Clearly, that wasn't going to happen.

"Dude," A voice interrupted his thoughts, as Toby appeared in the room and flung what looked like a pair of boxers at him.

"What are these?" Caleb groaned as they hit him in the face.

"Merry Christmas," Toby grinned, "It's our present to the girls."

"This is so lame," He moaned, holding up them up.

"It'll stop their moaning this morning," Toby said, hobbling on crutches, "Just put them on and come to the landing."

Caleb sighed, throwing his head back before he relented, "Fine," He replied, waiting for Toby to disappear before he pulled them on and hauled himself out of bed. He looked so ridiculous, but as he neared the top of the landing, he could hear exactly what Toby was referring to. "Go," He gave Toby a nudge, grinning as Hanna came into his view and he caught the tail end of their conversation.

Sat there on the back of the sofa, he couldn't take his eyes off her. "And we are…" He found himself saying, his smile growing as she looked over at him, "Together."

"Seriously?" Her voice held disbelief as all the girls looked over at them.

"Now that is a gesture," Spencer acknowledged, the amusement growing on all of their faces.

"Merry Christmas," They all said together, before the girls were standing from their positions on the sofa and heading straight for them. Caleb waited for everyone else to make their way down the stairs, loitering at the back until Hanna managed to reach him.

"Seriously?" She asked again, laughing as her hands naturally found their way around his neck.

"What?" He smiled, pulling her back up the last few steps and behind the wall for some privacy, "Your presents at home," He murmured as her fingers toyed with the waistline of the Santa boxers, "I had to give you something."

"I could have waited," She gave him a teasing look.

"Really now?" His voice dropped, his eyes glancing down to her lips before they stared straight back into her own blue orbs.

"No," She laughed and conceded, all too happy to let him swoop down and capture her mouth with his own. "Mm," She moaned into his mouth as his hands found their way round to her butt. "I don't need any presents," She pulled back slightly, a smile still on her face.

"What about your Mom's cranberry sauce recipe?" He tried, his lips finding her neck.

"Mmhmm, nope."

"The kitchen we spent a day stocking up with every food you could ever want?" He paused from the mark he was intending to make.

"Still no."

"I know what you need," He muttered, reaching for the buttons on the front of the material that was stopping him from _really_ touching any aspect of her body.

"What?" She bit her lip as he began to walk them back towards the room they'd slept in, knowing full well what his intentions were.

"To get dressed," His brow furrowed, another button coming undone as he guided her through the doorway, "But to do that you need to get undressed," He whispered, kicking the door shut with his foot.

"But I'm hungry," She lied, attempting to think of any excuse just to tease him. "I need something to eat," She tried to make her way back to the door, but he just picked her up and carried her to the bed. "Will you make me Christmas breakfast?" She pouted as he dropped her down.

"No," He shook his head, climbing on top of her and pulling the covers up over them again.

"But what should I eat?" She tried one final time, gripping his shoulders as he stole a kiss, settling in-between her legs as his hands continued to blindly work on the front of the onesie.

He pulled back to look into her eyes. He had one thing to say. "Me."

* * *

 **But should I make it M? I feel like it's going that way... Review? xox**


	3. Winter Things

So I rewrote this like three times ~sob~ because I hated it. But time's going fast and we have lots more years of Haleb at Christmas to get through so I forced myself to finish this off.

Thank you for the beautiful reviews. **ForTheLoveOfShips** \- am I that predictable? Woops

Enjoy...

* * *

 _ **Winter Things**_

 _But my baby's in town_

 _And we're gonna do some winter things_

* * *

 **2012**

"Is it bad?" Hanna started, her voice hushed as she pressed her face against Caleb's chest.

"Is what bad?" He asked, running a lazy hand through her hair as he focused on the Christmas film on TV.

"That I don't want to move."

Caleb smiled as his eyes left the screen, flittering round the room to take in the Christmas decorations that covered their tiny apartment, "It's not bad," He agreed, pressing a kiss against her hairline as they cuddled on the sofa. It was dark aside from the lights on the tree and the table lamp on the side, but it still felt _warm_. Despite the diving temperatures and the snow on the ground in New York City, their apartment _always_ felt warm.

"I love our tree," She murmured gently, her hand stroking across his chest as her eyes followed the dancing pattern of the glowing lights that reflected off the silver ornaments she'd insisted on putting on the branches. He'd tried to help when they've put it up a couple of weeks ago, but when she'd seen his first attempt at decoration placement, she'd banished him to the sofa to simply watch her do it instead.

"Even if it's only three foot?" He asked her, tucking her in closer.

"It wouldn't fit if it was any bigger," She looked up at him, pouting her lips for a kiss. He happily obliged, moving his mouth closer to hers so that he could capture her lips in a tender, slow kiss. "You're handsome," She murmured, smiling up at him contently before stealing one more quick kiss.

"I'm still going to Toby's for a couple of nights," He shook his head knowingly, relaxing back against the sofa again. Ever since he'd told Hanna that Toby had invited him up to his cabin for a couple of nights when they were back in Rosewood, she'd put up a fight.

He got where she was coming from – they'd spent every single night together since they'd moved to New York and it would feel weird not having her next to him, but he also wanted some serious guy time.

"But why can't you just stay at mine like normal?" She asked, "You can still see him for two days. You'll just be in my bed instead."

"Now you're playing dirty," He said, tangling his fingers in her hair again, "Han," He sighed as she continued to pout up at him, "I haven't seen Toby in like three months – we just want some guy time to drink beer and talk about shit. His cabin's the perfect place for that."

"You can do that in the day," Hanna countered, "It's our first Christmas without A messing with us," She said, her tone softening, "I just want to enjoy it with you and do some normal winter things without feeling like I need to constantly look over my shoulder."

"We _do_ winter things," He rolled his eyes, "It's all we've _done_ for the past two weeks," He pointed at the tree as case in point.

"I want to do more things," She said, "Back in Rosewood."

"Like what?" Caleb half snorted, "Drink hot chocolate at the Brew?" He remarked sarcastically, "It's not exactly like they have an ice rink," He lifted her legs off his lap and stood, heading the few feet to their kitchen area to make himself a hot drink.

"Like make pizza," Her voice dropped as her eyes followed him.

His eyes flashed knowingly at her as he leant on the countertop and waited for the kettle to boil, "We can still make pizza," He agreed, a smile gracing his face, "I'm meeting you at Emily's party on the 21st," He reminded her, "We'll have three days to make as much pizza as we want."

"We're not having sex," Hanna said bluntly, managing to hide a smile as Caleb stood straight up and frowned.

"You don't mean that."

"My Mom," Hanna reminded him as he abandoned his drink and headed back to her on the sofa, "Since she came here and stayed…" She grinned as she climbed on top of his lap and straddled him.

"She heard us," Caleb threw his head back – he still couldn't quite believe that Ashley had managed to hear them getting frisky in the middle of the night. They'd been so careful, waiting until it was something ridiculous like 3am and they were convinced she'd been fast asleep for _hours_ before they let go and all the tension that had been building since Ashley had stepped foot in their apartment a couple of days before.

Caleb had been convinced they'd gotten away with it, but then they'd all gone out to breakfast the next morning and Ashley had made a subtle comment that nonetheless told them all they'd needed to know – they'd been caught.

"She's already reminded me twice that we're under her roof for Christmas," Hanna rolled her eyes, cupping his jaw as he gazed up at her through his thick lashes.

"Two years ago she practically told us to go and have sex," He tilted his head to the side as he took her in, "Ironic," He muttered, his eyes dropping to her chest that was covered by two candy canes on her black pajama top. "Does she know you have this top?" He asked her, his hands moving to her waist.

"Yes," She climbed off him, knowing exactly where his mind was running, "I got it for Christmas last year from Santa."

"It's dirty," He murmured in her ear, his mouth pausing to tug on her lobe.

"They're candy canes," She looked up at him, "You're making it dirty."

He laughed, loving the put out look on her face as she turned back to the TV and focused on the film they were halfway through, "We can do winter things," He teased her, his voice dropping as he nudged his nose into her hair. "We can do it right now."

She sighed, trying to ignore him as he started to press gentle kisses against her neck, "Stop," She muttered, reaching for the remote to turn it up.

"We won't be able to do this for a week," He reminded her, pushing his hand up under her top until it was dancing near the edge of her bra.

She bit her lip, fighting with all her might the urge to touch him right back, "Fine," Her resolve crumbled as his mouth made it's way along her jawline, before he pressed his lips onto hers, stopping anything else she wanted to say. And then she wasn't fighting him, she was pulling him down with her as she let him do the only winter thing that was on her mind. She was going to miss him.

* * *

Four days later and Hanna was itching to see her man. Her Mom had tried all she could to temper her spirits by making her change out of her first outfit and then unceremoniously reminding her about the no sex rule she was imposing _multiple_ times on the drive over to the Fields' Christmas party. But nothing could stop the excitement bubbling in Hanna's stomach – she was finally seeing Caleb after their bittersweet parting in New York.

"Hanna, you're here!" Emily Fields pulled open the door to already full house, throwing her arms around her friend in a tight hug, "Hi Ms. Marin," She added, stepping forward to give Ashley a hug too, "Come in," She ushered them in, "Almost everyone's here."

"Ashley!" Hanna and Emily watched as Ashley immediately headed off in the direction of Ella Montgomery, leaving them by themselves.

"That's a nice dress," Emily remarked, taking in the off-the-shoulder red number that seemed to cling to everyone of Hanna's curves.

"This was take two," The blonde rolled her eyes, "Take one was vetoed by my mother."

"Where's Caleb?" Emily asked, fully expecting him to be arriving with the two Marin women.

"He's coming with Toby."

"And that explains the dress."

"What?" Hanna defended, linking arms with the hostess as they headed towards the kitchen to get a drink, "I want him to know what he's been missing."

"Spencer's not dressed up."

"Yes I am," Spencer butted in as they approached her, glancing down at the sequin dress she'd put on.

"Wow," Hanna sent her an approving look, "You look good Spence," She said, "Trying to impress anyone?"

"My boyfriend's been away for the same amount of nights as yours."

"I swear Toby said he was out of town for two nights?" Emily rolled her eyes as she handed Hanna a glass of champagne, "You guys are like this after _two nights_?"

"You seriously need to have more sex," Hanna looked at her friend sympathetically, "When you're used to getting it every night, two lonely sleeps is tough."

"At least you're with your boyfriend everyday," Spencer admonished, "I only get to see Toby when we're at home and Caleb's stolen him away."

"Oh my god," Aria interrupted them as she pushed past a group of people to reach her friends, "Em, the queue for the toilet is ridiculous."

"Oh, I'm sorry?"

" _Wow_ , Han," Aria ignored the brunette, flinging her arms around Hanna before taking a step back to take her in, "We all know what you're going to be doing tonight."

"And this was take two," Emily muttered.

"Seriously, you look insane," Aria complimented her friend.

"I missed you the most," Hanna grinned, hugging her tight again before she let her go to grab a drink.

"What about me?" A deep voice simmered in her ear as she felt a familiar pair of hands on her waist before they wrapped around her.

A content smile settled on Hanna's face as she let herself sink back against Caleb's chest, tilting her head to gaze straight up into his eyes, "I missed you more," She agreed, cupping his cheek as she reached her mouth up to his.

He kissed her tenderly, holding her tight as her thumbs stroked across his stubble and their tongues gently met. He couldn't resist dipping a hand down to grab her butt as she pulled back and grinned at him before he kissed her all over again. "I miss you too."

"Where's my greeting?" Emily pouted, waiting expectantly for Caleb to come and say hi.

"No," Hanna stopped him from moving, "You can say hi from here," She said, keeping him in place.

"Hi," Caleb laughed, not doing anything to fight his girlfriend.

"Anyone would think you've been apart for months," Emily rolled her eyes, averting her gaze as Caleb dropped his lips onto Hanna's again.

"I think it's sweet," Aria countered, "It's Christmas Em," She smiled, "It's all about being together."

"And my Mom's going hard on no sex," Hanna added, "So I need to get it out of my system now."

"I did not need to know that," Emily muttered as Caleb finally let Hanna go and moved over to give her a hug.

"Ouch," Aria shot her a sympathetic look, "Will she really find out though?"

"Well, she found out when we were in our own apartment," Hanna bit her lip and glanced awkwardly to the side.

"No way," Aria held a hand to her mouth, "Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately."

"So what are you gonna do?"

Hanna sighed, smiling across at Caleb as she watched him talk to Emily as they poured themselves drinks, "We're going to do lots of winter things," She said, "Out of the house," She clarified, "And then once my Mom thinks we're out every day and goes out to run errands we're going to do lots of winter things," She explained, "Inside the house."

"Hanna!"

"I can't wait."

* * *

 **Reviewwwwwwwww?**


	4. Not Just On Christmas

Speeeeeeeedy new chapter. So **ForTheLoveOfShips** asked a really important question about the Haleb Growth universe and does _the_ break-up exist (no more explanation needed, Mar you still messed up.) The answer is kind of yes / no. Basically since 6B aired and we found out what happened, I could kind of envisage the reasoning / break happening but on a much smaller scale. I really think Hanna is Caleb's world and therefore him running off to Europe and shacking up with Spencer is just ROGUE and COMPLETELY OUT OF CHARACTER.

The below has been in my head for a while and is kind of a teaser as to what I think probably would have happened between them if Marlene stuck to the script... still tension... still issues to work with, but they love each other. Seriously.

Enjoy...

* * *

 **Not Just On Christmas**

 _Wanna show you in so many ways_

 _Three hundred and sixty five days_

 _I'll give you all my presents, boy, I'm for you_

 _Not just on Christmas_

* * *

 **2013**

Hanna Marin was a mess.

There was listening to every sad song on repeat and then there was… her... lying on her sofa surrounded by her friends as she cried uncontrollably. Christmas was supposed to be happy, exciting and full of love. But as Ashley Marin took in her crying daughter from afar, trying to listen in to their conversation to try to figure out exactly why Hanna had been refusing to come out of her room since she arrived home the previous day, she knew her nineteen-year-old daughter was the antithesis of the festive season.

She'd only been told bits and pieces of what had happened, but between the tubs of Ben & Jerry's she'd taken up to Hanna's room, she'd gathered that the second supposed guest she'd expected to walk through the door the previous afternoon was in California, _not_ Rosewood.

She'd tried to encourage Hanna out of her room and downstairs to enjoy a nice welcome home dinner with Ted the previous evening, but Hanna had flat out refused to leave her bed. Ashley wasn't sure she'd been downstairs at all until she'd spotted the fourth stocking that hung above the fire place was no longer there.

Subtle, her daughter was not.

"What's happened?" Ashley craned against the wall as she heard Aria ask a simple question that had been on the tip of her own tongue all day.

"We had an argument," Hanna cried, "I think…" She sniffled, reaching for another tissue, "I think we're over."

"Don't be stupid," Emily smiled, "Caleb worships the ground you walk on."

"And you've had arguments before," Spencer acknowledged, "You guys always figure things out."

"This was different Spence," Hanna began to sob again, clinging onto Aria tightly, "He was so…" She cried.

"So what?" Emily probed gently, reaching out a hand to stroke her hair.

"Angry."

"It's going to be okay," Aria tried to comfort her as best as possible, rocking her gently in her arms.

"Hanna," Spencer said softly, "What did you two argue about?"

"I was so stupid," Hanna cried, her voice struggling to break through her sobs as her lungs fought for air.

"Hey," Aria frowned, "I _know_ this will have been just as much his fault as it is yours."

"No," Hanna defended him, wiping at her eye with the sleeve of her dressing gown, "It was all me."

"What happened?" Emily pushed again, handing her a glass of water to take slow sips from.

"We…" She took a deep breath as the felt the tears threaten to start streaming again. "His Mom…" Was all she got out before she buried herself in Aria's arms once more.

"Is she okay?" Spencer asked with concern.

"She's fine," Hanna mumbled against Aria's sleeve, "He wanted to go and see her," She managed to explain, "And she invited us out to Cali before Christmas for a few days."

"You told me about this at Thanksgiving," Emily nodded, rubbing her knee gently.

"Exactly," Hanna cried, "He was so excited."

"I thought that's where you flew back from yesterday," Aria said, lessening her grip as Hanna sat up again.

"No," She tried to compose herself, "I was supposed to be there, but I couldn't go," She swallowed, "I have this job," She explained, "Helping out a designer."

"And?"

"And she's a real bitch," Hanna sniffled, "But it's an amazing opportunity."

"What does this have to do with Caleb?"

"She wanted me to work until yesterday," Hanna explained, "And it meant not going to Cali with… Caleb," She could finally say his name without bursting into tears. "And when I told him earlier this week, he was _so_ mad."

"Why?" Emily frowned, "He's gone on his own before."

"This was going to be the first time… the first proper time that we went together and stayed with his family," She said, looking down at the floor as sadness crept into her expression. "He wanted to show me what it was like at Christmas, he wanted me to properly get to know his Mom before we came back here and spent Christmas together."

"And you didn't go?" Aria asked, her voice full of apprehension.

"I didn't go," Hanna blinked her eyes shut as another tear escaped. "He said I didn't care about him anymore," She began to cry again, "That I didn't care about his family… And that… And that my job was the most important thing."

"Han," Spencer moved forward from her perch on the coffee table to wrap her in her arms.

"It's not true," The blonde sobbed, "I love him," She spluttered, "More than anything else."

"We know that."

"But…" She cried, "He doesn't think that."

"Did he say that?" Spencer asked.

"No," Hanna mumbled, "But he left when I was at work," She buried her head in Spencer's hair, "And he won't answer my texts or my calls," She said, "I know that's what he's thinking."

"If this happened a few days ago, why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I was so caught up in work and the next collection that I didn't even have a chance to _think_ ," She cried, "And then when I stopped and got on the train," She whimpered, "That's when I realized how bad it was."

"It could be worse."

"Aria," Hanna snapped, "How could this be worse?" She wailed, "He's dumped me."

"He hasn't _dumped_ you," Spencer tried to talk some sense into her friend, "Look," She said, "He's clearly just upset right now, but he'll come round," She encouraged, "Maybe you just need to spend this Christmas apart to get yourselves back on track before you see each other."

"I don't need to get myself back on track," Hanna spat, "I'm _on_ track," She wiped at her eye again, "I'm on his track for God's sake."

"We know you are," Emily did her best to comfort her.

"I need to see him," Hanna stood suddenly, "I need to fly out there."

"Hanna," The girls all looked around as Ashley Marin finally made her presence known and stepped into the room, "You're not flying to California on Christmas Eve."

"You can't stop me."

"What about our Christmas?" Ashley tried, "I know you're upset, but rushing off to California isn't going to solve anything."

"Yes it is," Hanna cried, "I can tell him how sorry I am, how much I love him."

"You can do that via your cellphone."

"You've been listening to this entire conversation," Hanna held a hand to her forehead, "You know he's ignoring me."

"When was the last time you tried him?" Emily asked, shooting Ashley an understanding smile.

"Two hours ago," The blonde turned and began furiously searching for her phone, "It went straight to voicemail," She sniffled, "He's screening my calls."

"He's not screening your calls," Spencer rolled her eyes; at first she'd felt sympathetic with Hanna – she was clearly cut up about the situation, but now she was starting to act like she was the lead actress in a TV series.

"You try him," Hanna insisted, pausing her search as Spencer put her phone on loudspeaker.

"It's not connecting," The brunette muttered before the familiar sound of Caleb's voice filtered through the phone.

 _Hey, it's Caleb. Leave me a message or if it's really important, call Hanna._

"Oh god," Hanna began to cry again, "He's not with me," She muttered into her hands.

"It's going to be okay," Aria tried again, "I know it hurts, but it will get better."

"You don't understand…" Ashley was just about to make a move towards her daughter when a shadow crossing the floorboards caught her eye. Biting her tongue, she made a move towards the front door to see who exactly was trying to make an unexpected appearance on Christmas Eve.

"Caleb," Ashley gasped quietly as she pulled open the door to reveal an all-too-familiar figure, looking equally as antsy as her daughter.

"Hey, Ashley," He swallowed nervously, running a hand through his hair as he tried to glance over her shoulder subtly.

"I think you should come in," She suggested, opening up the door a little wider. "Leave that by the door," She said, her voice low as she nodded towards his hold all.

"I'm sorry—" He began, but she shook her head and cut him off.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Her voice tapered off as they headed towards the living room, the sounds of Hanna's crying permeating through the air again.

"I need to go," Ashley rolled her eyes – clearly the topic of conversation hadn't moved on in the last few minutes. "I need to tell him how much I love him."

"Hanna," Spencer said firmly, "He knows how much you love him."

"No, he doesn't," The blonde whimpered, "He thinks I hate him."

"He does not think you hate him," Aria's tone held equal frustration, "You need to just give him a couple of hours to call you back."

"I love him so much," Hanna's voice suddenly became tiny as her body hunched forward on the sofa, "And it's not just because it's Christmas and he's supposed to be here," She started to justify quietly.

"I know that," Caleb's croaky voice broke through the quiet, making four heads whip straight back around to the entranceway to the living room.

"Caleb," Hanna's voice wasn't more than a whisper, before the poignancy of what he'd done hit her and her eyes welled all over again, "Caleb," She whimpered his name again, "You're here."

"I'm here," He nodded, taking a step towards her.

"She was about to fly to California," Aria shot him a small smile.

"Not like that," He murmured, taking in the booty shorts that exposed all her legs and the t-shirt he recognised as his own.

"We weren't sure," Spencer muttered, glancing sideways.

"I would have put sweats on," Hanna said quietly, rubbing her eye before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear – she must have looked absolutely horrific.

"Thanks for stopping her," He smiled at the three girls, biting his lip as he stared at his girlfriend who was looking more than a little awkward. "Are you going to come here?" He asked, opening up his arms for her to charge into, burying her face against his neck as she started to cry again.

"Sweats in public," Emily shot him a grin as the three girls prepared to leave, "She really loves you."

"I know," He pressed a kiss against Hanna's hair as she clung onto him.

"I'm sorry," She cried, "I'm so sorry."

"I know you are," He whispered, lacing his hands through her hair as Emily, Spencer and Aria excused themselves. "I'm sorry too."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Hanna whimpered, "I'm the one who's ruined our Christmas."

"You haven't ruined it," He reassured her, taking a step back so that he could look into her eyes, "And I do," He cupped her cheeks, "I shouldn't have forced you to choose between me and my Mom and your job."

"There is no choice," Her voice broke again as he dropped his forehead to rest on hers, "It's always you. Always."

"Every single day," He murmured, tenderly stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones. "And that's why I was mad."

She pulled back and nodded understandingly – she got it. She was mad at herself. "I love you," She replied quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He smiled, kissing her softly, "I love you too."

"I'll quit my job," She sniffled, "I don't care about it."

"I care about it," He reassured her, pulling her close against him again, "We still need to talk about it," He murmured, "But I haven't seen you in a week," He said, running a hand through her hair, "It can wait for a few days."

"I'm so glad you're here," She was on the verge of crying again.

"Hanna," Ashley interrupted them, a certain item in her hand, "I found this outside," She held up a red stocking with Caleb's name scrawled across the top.

"We had one argument and you threw out my stocking?" Caleb asked in disbelief as Hanna raced away from him to grab the item from her Mom.

"It was a bad argument," She justified, holding the material close to her chest, "But it's over now," She said, feeling both Caleb's and her Mom's eyes on her as she placed the stocking back up where it belonged. "You're here," She whispered to herself.

"Good," Ashley smiled as Hanna headed straight back into Caleb's arms, clinging onto his waist as they gazed into each other's eyes, "Because I spent a lot of money getting in ingredients so that you could make pizza for all of us this evening." She knew whatever she was saying was falling on deaf ears and instead of prying, averted her eyes and headed into the kitchen leaving the two of them by themselves.

"It'll never happen again," Hanna whispered as they stood in the middle of the living room, the lights of the tree dancing around them as calm finally settled, "I'll show you every day."

"I know you will," He reassured her, sensing her fluctuating emotions, "It's going to be okay." She nodded, finally allowing herself to agree with his words.

"I'll never stop loving you," She wiped at her eye with her finger, trying to compose herself as she conveyed everything she felt towards him.

"Just on Christmas?" He asked, a small smile etching across his face as he glanced over at the stocking that had been rehung.

She followed his gaze and sniffled, feeling stupid all over again before she buried herself in his arms. It was the only place she felt safe and content. "Never just on Christmas." She meant it.

* * *

 **Thank you for all your reviews so far, they really do mean a lot. I hope you liked this one xox**


	5. December

Last year in Growth, I did a chapter called 'Not So Silent Night' (ch. 16) which had flashbacks to Hanna and Caleb at the Fields' Christmas party in 2012, 2014 and 2017 - this story is completely intertwined with that and follows the same plot seedlings that were planted there.

Guest ~ Gggb update is not super far off

Leapyearbaby29 ~ Logan is Hanna and Caleb's baby boy from my other story Growth and as per the storyline in that, Alison is off with her new husband, she doesn't appear until a little later in the story

Guest ~ restraints sequel is on my agenda, but I don't think it would be hugely long, maybe 10 or 15 chapters?

Enjoy...

* * *

 **December**

 _I'm just trying to keep you warm in the wintertime_

 _I'm just trying to give you something to remember in the summertime_

 _And whatever is on your list, I'll do it_

* * *

 **2014**

Caleb coughed slightly as he walked into the dimly lit kitchen, trying his best to subtly grab Ashley's attention. It worked and she looked up from the recipe book she was reading through to find the source of the noise.

"Hi," He smiled, taking a seat at the island.

"Hey Caleb," Ashley smiled back, propping her glasses on her head, "Where's Hanna?" She asked, reaching for the bottle of wine she had out to top up her glass, "Wine?"

"Uhm, sure," His brow quirked, watching as she pulled another glass down, "And she's upstairs," He explained, "She got into a fight with the sticky tape and the ribbon and I was only making things worse."

"Ah," Ashley grinned, "Believe it or not, she's come a long way," She said, "I remember when she was six and she wanted to help me wrap Tom's present so badly," She began, unable to stop her smile growing, "And she tried for all of a minute before she threw the scissors at the wall and stomped up the stairs yelling that the wrapping paper was stupid."

Caleb let out a small laugh, "That sounds like Hanna," He agreed, nervously fiddling with the neck of his glass. "Maybe I should get her wrapping lessons for Christmas."

"We both know she'd hate it," Ashley said knowingly, taking a sip of her wine.

"Yeah," Caleb frowned, a momentary silence settling over the two of them before he plucked up the courage to speak, "About that," He started abruptly, avoiding eye contact, "I need to ask you something."

"If it's about whether she'd like the nude Burberry trench coat or the navy one, I have no idea."

"No," He shook his head and felt himself relax, "I… I went to see Tom yesterday," He said, not missing the shock that Ashley tried to hide. "Before Emily's party."

"Oh?"

"I know he's not a big part of Hanna's life," He started, feeling his mouth run dry, "Or yours for that matter," He tilted his head to the side, "But Han never does things by halves and I felt like I owed it to her to see her Dad."

"Can I ask why?" Ashley asked, although she had a pretty good idea as to where their conversation was heading.

"I love Hanna," Caleb said, feeling the emotion start to bubble to the surface, "We spent time this year working us out, finding the right balance between what we both want from work and what we want from each other. She's it for me," His voice become gentle, "There's no one else like her," He flashed a small smile, "And that's what I said to him when I asked him if it was okay to ask Hanna to marry me."

"Oh Caleb," Even though she knew it was coming, hearing Caleb say those words still hit Ashley right in the chest.

"Wait," He frowned as she made a move to stand up and move round to him, "I'm not just telling you this because I should," He explained, "Tom saying yes needed to happen, but I need to ask you too," He finally looked up at her, "Because I know your blessing is more important than any Tom could ever give," He said, "So," He took a deep breath, "This is me asking for your permission to marry your daughter."

"Caleb," Ashley couldn't stop herself any longer, moving round the island to pull him into her arms, "Of course it's a yes," She felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she hugged him tightly, "You've been a part of this family since you were both 16," She pulled back to look into his eyes, "There's nothing I want more than for you to both make that permanent and get everything you've ever wanted."

"Thanks," He let out a relieved smile, "I know we're young…"

"No," She stopped him and shook her head, "What you two have is real," She reassured him, "And after everything you've both been through, you're both wise beyond your years."

"Even when she's fighting with the wrapping paper?" He grinned as Ashley headed to the fridge to pull out a bottle of champagne.

"Even then," She laughed with him, "This calls for something special," She said, handing the bottle to him as she searched for the champagne flutes.

"Won't Hanna ask?"

"I'm getting all these free from suppliers who want us to use them at the hotel," Ashley shook her head, "Hanna knows I'm drowning in this stuff."

"Nice," He nodded his approval, moving to the sink so that he could pop the cork.

"So have you decided where you're going to do it?" Ashley asked excitedly as the gravity of the situation sank in.

"Yeah," Caleb grinned, "We have this place in Central Park," He said as he began to pour the champagne into the three glasses in front of him, "And I want to do it there when it's just us," He added, "But I want to wait until after her birthday."

"In March?" Ashley frowned, "Why so long?"

"I know Han has this plan," He said, "And she's made a comment before about wanting it to be the right time."

"Caleb, the right time for you isn't necessarily the right time for the rest of the world," She said, "Whether you get engaged at 19 or 35, what matters is that it's right for you and Hanna."

"It will be," He said coyly.

"Anyway," She could tell he didn't want to divulge any more detail about what he had planned, "Cheers," She smiled, holding her glass up.

"Cheers," Caleb grinned.

"Oh my god," They both turned to look at the stairs as Hanna trotted down the stairs, looking more than a little exasperated, "Why does ribbon refuse to co-operate?" She rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen, "And why do you both have two drinks?" She shook her head in confusion as her eyes caught sight of the half-drunk glasses of wine and full glasses of champagne.

"I think the wine's corked," Ashley lied.

"Seriously?" Hanna pulled a face, picking up the bottle and smelling the top. "What a waste," She rolled her eyes, heading straight towards the sink to pour the remaining contents down. "This is your favourite bottle as well," She shook her head, throwing the now-empty bottle in the trash.

Ashley sent her a small smile, "I'll buy some more."

"Here," Caleb handed Hanna the third glass of champagne.

"Thanks," She smiled, sighing and taking a seat.

"Have you finished wrapping all your gifts now?" Ashley asked, watching as Hanna reached an arm out to wrap around Caleb's waist.

He pulled her close as she nodded and looked up at him, "We just have one more that I'm picking up tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Ashley tried to hold in a laugh, "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve sweetheart."

"I know," She harrumphed, "But the bible bookshop don't ship quickly."

"The bible bookshop?"

"It's for Ted," Hanna explained.

"I know that," Ashley took a sip of her drink, "I just didn't realise they referred to themselves as the bible bookshop."

"I don't know," Hanna shrugged, "Caleb found it, interrogate him."

"Please don't."

"Is the wrapping paper still in your room?" Ashley changed the subject, "I have a few things to wrap myself."

"Please take it," Hanna begged, "I never want to see another piece of sticky tape again."

"Whilst I do that," Ashley started, reaching for the recipe book she'd been perusing before Caleb walked in, "Can you both start making dinner?" It was a question that didn't require an answer.

"What are we having?" Hanna asked, flicking through the well-worn Martha Stewart book, "Please, not the pork chops like last year."

"The ingredients are in the fridge for the braised Chicken Marsala," Ashley finished her glass, "You better get to work."

Hanna sighed contently as her Mom disappeared and Caleb began to walk around the kitchen, grabbing everything they'd need to make a start on dinner, "What?" He turned and looked at her, feeling her eyes on him.

"I like watching you cook," She said, propping her head in her hand.

"Are you going to help?" He asked teasingly, "Or just check me out?"

"Mmm, I'm good," She grinned, pushing the recipe book towards him. "I'll just sit here."

"Really?" He tilted his head.

"Really," She bit her lip, gazing at him imploringly.

"No," He shook his head, walking round to her and pushing his way in between her legs.

"No?"

"No," He muttered, before his hands were cupping her cheeks and his mouth was on hers, giving her a hard kiss as she clung to his belt loops.

"Okay," She grinned lazily up at him when he pulled away, "I'll help," She agreed, letting him keep hold of her waist as he guided her round to the other side of the kitchen island.

"But," He murmured, caging her in as he stood behind her, "You can't distract me," He said as his lips found the skin on the nape of her neck, "Your Mom's expecting the perfect Christmas chicken."

"That's a lie," Hanna smiled, surrendering herself to him as she relaxed back against his chest and let his mouth attack her skin, "She gets a recipe book out once a year in December."

"And you love it."

Hanna smiled as his lips trailed up her jawline, his teeth tugging on her earlobe as his hands dipped into the front pockets of her jeans, "December," She agreed, feeling his fingers pull her against him, "I get to think about our year together and look forward to the next."

Caleb stopped teasing her as her words sunk in. "What do you want for us next year?" He asked gently, rubbing her arm as she grabbed the mushrooms in front of them and began to chop them up.

"I want us to enjoy our jobs," She said softly, "And for me to graduate college," She added, focusing hard on the task at hand, "And I want us to go travelling in the summer."

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, pressing a sweet kiss against her shoulder.

"To Paris," She smiled, reaching for an onion, "And Milan," She added.

"And Rome," He murmured, dropping a hand to her waist where he squeezed gently.

"And then to California," She said, turning her head to connect their lips tenderly.

"Yeah?"

She nodded, putting the knife down, "I liked spending time there last summer."

"Me too."

"What do you want?" She asked, turning in his arms.

"You."

"You already have me," She smiled, her hands reaching up to cup his jaw.

"You're all I ever want," He told her, nudging his nose against hers, "Now," He kissed her, "on Christmas Day," His lips touched hers again, "Next year."

She nodded and smiled as he kissed her again, his mouth opening as their kisses became more heated, "Stop," She managed to get out, placing her hands on his chest to push him back, "We need to cook."

"I'm not stopping you," He grinned, "Us," He corrected himself when she gave him a pointed look. He kissed the side of her face before he stood back to grab the speakers to plug his phone into.

"You weren't this unhelpful last year," She commented as he topped up their glasses.

"We were making up last year," He replied, "I didn't want your Mom to hate me."

"Like that would ever happen," She almost snorted, reaching for the onions, "You know," She started, "Every December I start to think that she might actually love you more than me." Caleb just grinned, running a hand through his hair as she paused her chopping to look up at him. "You're not denying it."

"We'll just see who gets the better present this year," He said, making his way back round to her.

"My list isn't parent friendly."

He paused her hand that was still cutting the vegetables and made her put the knife down, "I can do anything on your list," He whispered, pulling her into his arms again as he pushed her up against the side.

As the music played, dinner lay forgotten and he kissed her all over again, she knew she really did love December. She couldn't wait for their next year together.

* * *

 **Review? xoxoxo**


	6. Snow In California

**Not gonna lie, kind of proud of myself for how quickly I'm managing to update this. We're getting to the interesting stuff though, I just love it.**

 **Guest ~ no baby / pregnancy yet! A couple more chapters before we get there. They are only 21 at this point!**

 **missoutontheprize ~ me too, I'm kind of living for that chapter rn...**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

 **Snow In California**

 _I just have one wish_

 _This year can you_

 _Just make it snow in California_

* * *

 **2015**

"This is weird."

Caleb looked across at Hanna as they wandered round The Grove in 20-degree heat, fitting in some last minute Christmas shopping. "But good?" He asked hopefully, squeezing their interlinked hands. It was the first time they were spending Christmas together in California and he was a little nervous about it.

"I'm not complaining about getting a tan in December," She agreed, heading towards Crate & Barrel, "Do you think your Mom wants something for the house?" She asked, pushing her sunglasses onto her head as they made their way inside.

"I think after we said we'd spent Christmas with her in California, every other thing on her list disappeared."

Hanna smiled up at him, her grin growing as he leant down for a gentle kiss, "I definitely have to spend at least one Christmas with the in-laws. It's a rite of passage."

"They're not your in-laws yet," He teased her, his thumb stroking over the single band resting on her finger. The diamond was worth every penny.

"But it's not that far off," She grinned, turning back to the decorative bowl she'd spotted on the side, "Just 1 year, 1 month and 10 days," She commented, letting go of his hand to inspect the item, grabbing a boxed one when she was satisfied Claudia would like it.

"Remind me again why I'll end up waiting almost two years to get married to you after I asked you?" He asked her, following her towards the tills, "I was pretty okay with eloping to Vegas."

"Because," Hanna said as they joined the queue, "I've been thinking about our wedding since I was 16," She told him, "When I say I do, it needs to be perfect."

"It will be," He reassured her, brushing a hand down her back.

"Oh I know it will," She moved forward to the next free cashier, "That's why when we set a date it was in 2017."

"That'll be $129 please," The young woman behind the till said, stopping their conversation.

"On a bowl?" Caleb wrapped an arm around Hanna's waist and buried his nose in her hair as he tried not to let his disbelief show. "Seriously?"

"I need to make a good impression," She justified as the cashier bubble-wrapped the bowl and then bagged it up for them.

"She already loves you," He rolled his eyes, taking her hand again as he guided her out of the shop. "She loved you the first time she met you."

"I'm not denying that," Hanna muttered as they headed for the car they'd borrowed off Claudia, "She can't wait to have me as her daughter-in-law."

"Cut out the in-law and I think you're right," He agreed, dumping their bags of shopping in the trunk of the car.

"You almost sound jealous," She teased him as he made his way round to the driver's side.

He leant across the console and cupped her chin, pushing his lips onto hers. "Never," He murmured, pulling back to start their drive to Montecito. And he wasn't; he knew both their respective sets of parents had equal soft spots for the both of them. "Do you think your Mom's really okay with us spending Christmas out here?"

Hanna sighed, grabbing her phone to see if she had any messages from her, "She knows she's hogged us for like four years now," She agreed, reaching a hand out to stroke his arm, "And we hardly see your Mom," She acknowledged, "Plus, she _knows_ that next year I'll be there all the time sorting out the wedding."

"We'll," Caleb corrected her, glancing at her before his eyes diverted back to the road, "I know you've got it all mapped out in your pretty head, but I'm only gonna get one wedding Han," He said, "I want to make sure I'm there making it all happen too."

Hanna bit her lip to fight a smile as his hand squeezed her thigh. "We'll be there all the time," She agreed, resting her hand on top of his, "And it's going to snow," She sighed, "I'm getting married in February because it has the highest chance of snow."

"We could get married somewhere else," He suggested as she played with his fingers, occasionally glancing across from the road to see her face. He knew how desperate she was for there to be snow on the ground when they got married, but the Pennsylvania weather was unpredictable at best during the winter.

"Where?" Hanna snorted, "I don't think it snows in California."

"What about… Colorado?" He suggested as they turned onto the highway, ignoring her comment.

"No way," She said, "We've already sent out Save the Date invitations telling everyone it'll be in Rosewood," She reminded him, "Besides, it's where we met, it's where we fell in love - it's where we're getting married."

"Then we need to hope it snows."

* * *

Hanna found herself fighting a moan as her and Caleb found themselves in a slow make-out session in the living room. It had all started as she'd dragged him around the house, finding the perfect place where the designer bowl she'd just bought could go. And then she'd spotted the coffee table in front of the fire where Claudia had the most beautiful collection of books… but no bowl. It was going to be perfect… which was exactly what she'd tried to tell Caleb as he did his best to distract her with his hands, his lips.

It hadn't taken much for her to give in, especially when Claudia had yelled that she was taking the boys out to the garage to grab some things and she thought they'd have more than a moment's privacy - things hadn't been bad, but it certainly wasn't their New York apartment. And then somehow, despite her talking about the coffee table, they'd ended up on the sofa, her back against the cushions as he climbed on top of her in between her legs and kissed her silly.

She didn't know how long they were like that, but it felt perfect as their tongues gently met and their fingers softly roamed. "Let's go upstairs," Caleb pulled back for a moment to murmur against her skin before his lips were straight back on hers.

"Upstairs," She gasped, letting him pull her up as her lips craned for his mouth again, happily following his lead as he guided her towards the stairs. Despite said moments of privacy, Hanna had felt on edge since they'd arrived in California - not wanting to do anything that would leave Claudia unimpressed, whenever Caleb had made any _move_ to get her out of her clothes, she'd batted him away and told him it wasn't going to happen. But she missed being that close to him and three days without _anything_ felt like a lifetime, so when his lips had found her skin, this time she couldn't say no.

"Are you guys almost ready?" They both sprang apart as Claudia's voice filtered through the front door.

"Ready for what?" Hanna asked Caleb, confused as she held a hand to her lips and tried to catch her breath.

"Han," He shot her a look, "Did you not read your emails?"

"Can you guys bring your cases down?" Claudia asked as she approached them, looking more than a little stressed.

"Sure, Mom," Caleb smiled tightly, heading up the stairs with Hanna right behind him.

"Caleb," Hanna whispered harshly, "Why are we bringing our cases down? I just unpacked properly."

"Babe," He shot her a worried look, "Did you seriously not read anything my Mom sent you?"

"I get 50 emails a day from places to do with the wedding," She held a hand to her forehead, "I don't get a chance to read everything that comes in."

"We're not staying here over Christmas," Caleb told her, "My Mom and Will always take the boys up to their place near Bear Mountain."

"Bear Mountain?"

"To go boarding," He explained, zipping up his case. "And this year we're going with them."

"I have two pairs of jeans, Caleb! There's no point me even packing anything up."

"We can buy you stuff when we get up there," He reasoned, "You said your parents took you skiing when you were younger," He explained, "I thought you knew what you needed."

"The last time I went skiing was when I was 12 Caleb," She huffed, "And I was twenty pounds heavier and spent most of the holiday eating _waffles_."

"Look," He tried to calm her down, "They have a hot tub and a really nice shopping avenue and the house is amazing," He said, stroking her arms, "We can just chill there if we don't want to hit the snow."

"Oh my god," Hanna squeezed her eyes shut, "This is not happening," She shook her head, tearing herself out of his arms to grab as much stuff as possible to shove into her case.

"Babe, calm down."

"They aren't supposed to even _have_ snow in California," She wailed, "I thought I was getting a tan for the next seven days."

"You love the snow," He tried again as she zipped up her bag, "You can… get inspiration for the wedding," He suggested, "We can walk around town or go up into the mountain and just see what's there."

"Okay," She took a deep breath, nodding as she let Caleb grab their stuff and take it downstairs.

"You guys ready?" Claudia asked again as she waited for them at the bottom of the stairs, "Will's just headed off with the boys in the other car."

"Yeah," Hanna sent her a terse smile, "We're ready," She agreed, breezing past her to head out to the car.

"Is she okay?" Claudia sent Caleb a questioning look.

"She's just nervous about skiing," He lied, "She hasn't been since she was 12."

Claudia nodded knowingly, "Go put that stuff in the car and then we better make a move," She told him, "If Hanna doesn't want to ski, then I can stay off the slopes with her," She said, squeezing his shoulder, "We've got a wedding to plan."

"Don't I know it."

* * *

"Oh my god," Hanna groaned.

"What?" Caleb laughed as he watched his fiancée fall onto the sofa, opposite the log fire.

"Oh my god," She repeated, throwing her arms over her eyes, "This pain can't be real."

"It's real," He grinned, encouraging her to move her legs so that he could sit next to her, "It's worth it though," He said as she threw her legs over his lap.

"I need a massage," She demanded as his hands started to work on her limbs, "Harder," She pleaded, "Keep going."

"Yes ma'am," Caleb shot her a sly smile as Claudia walked in with Clay hot on her heels and a tray of hot chocolate in her hands.

"Hanna," The little boy gasped, running over to the sofa, "Mom's made us hot chocolate," He said sweetly, "I asked her for us."

"Thank you," She grinned, ruffling his hair as she sat up.

"So," Claudia smiled, handing out the hot chocolates before she took a seat in the armchair, "What do you think to Christmas Eve on the slopes?" She asked, "Tempted to come back next year?"

"You've got stockings now so you have to come," Clay pointed out the two extra stockings that hung on the mantelpiece near their four regular ones.

"They're pretty neat," Caleb agreed, "But next Christmas we'll be sorting everything out for our wedding."

"I'm so excited," Claudia smiled uncontrollably, "Even if it does mean you won't be spending Christmas out here." She never thought she'd get the chance to experience this with Caleb.

"Mom," James came sprinting into the room, sliding across the hardwood floors on his socks as Will followed behind, "Dad said we can order pizza."

"He's hungry," Will shrugged, a takeaway menu in his hand.

"We usually have pizza on Christmas Eve," Hanna smiled, her hand stroking through the back of Caleb's hair, "It's almost a tradition."

"Can we Mom?" Clay asked excitedly as James looked at her expectantly.

"If Hanna and Caleb usually do, then we don't want to break their tradition," She gave in, "Take everyone's orders and then go wash up."

"We'll have chicken and sweetcorn," Caleb said, "And whilst you're ordering it, we're going to get in the hot tub," He stood up, pulling Hanna with him. "Han's legs aren't used to all the skiing."

"I want to go in!"

"No Clay," Claudia stepped in, "You need to help us order the pizza."

Caleb shot her a grateful look before he and Hanna disappeared up to their room to change into their swim gear and then headed out towards the back deck where the hot tub was set up, bubbling away as the snow continued to fall. "It's freezing," Hanna said dubiously, hovering near the double doors with a towel wrapped around her.

"It'll help," He reassured her, pulling her towel from her, "I promise," He grinned, not missing the look she shot him before she raced across the wood and into water. "Wait," He made her pause just so that his eyes could roam her body, "Okay, now you can get in."

"You've such a perv," She screeched, sinking in up to her shoulders.

"You can do the same to me," He laughed, rubbing his abs as he walked across to join her.

"I'm good," She teased him, floating into his arms as he sat down in the water. "You still owe me a massage," She reminded him, kissing him gently.

"I made it snow in California," Caleb looked up into the sky, prompting Hanna to do the same, "That counteracts all massages."

"That is pretty good," She admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck, "But if you massage me, you'll get to touch me," She whispered as his hands found her hips, toying with the strings on her bikini underneath the water.

"Is this before or after we have pizza?" He asked, his hands roaming her skin.

"Pizza will be 15 minutes," Claudia stuck her head through the door and yelled before she disappeared again.

"Definitely after," Hanna murmured, dropping a kiss to his lips, "I need longer than 15 minutes," She said, pushing her mouth against his again as her tongue probed for his.

"Wait, wait, wait," He tried as she climbed off his lap, "We have time."

"No we don't," She said, fighting a laugh, "I didn't let you put this ring on my finger for 15 minutes."

"It's snowing," He pleaded, "You love the snow."

"We're getting married in the snow," She shook her head, standing up and pulling herself out of the water, "I plan on having a lot of sex in the snow."

"It's my Christmas present?" He asked as she leant over the side and pressed a kiss against his face.

"The red lace is inside," She whispered in his ear, "After pizza."

"Hanna!" Clay came barreling towards the pair of them, excitement in his eyes, "Come on," He begged her, "I saved you a seat next to me at the table."

"What about me?" Caleb asked, hopping over the side to grab his towel.

"You can sit next to Mom."

"Thanks," He rolled his eyes, placing a subtle hand on Hanna's butt as they walked through the house. "I'm owed more than red lace," He muttered in her ear as they raced upstairs to grab some clothes.

"More, or less?" She asked, pulling off her bikini top and flinging it at him.

He growled as he felt his arousal stir and his Mom yelled for them again. He couldn't wait for red lace. He couldn't wait for snow. There was nothing like Christmas in California.

* * *

 **Please review?**


	7. True Love

**Naughty me, leaving this a bit too long to update. Three or four more chapters left... hopefully I'll have them all up before 2017.**

 **Boris Yeltsin ~ Caleb's birth mother lives in Montecito, so I thought it would only be natural after a few years for them to spend a Christmas with her**

 **prettylittleliarshaleb ~ thank you for reviewing every chapter, three or four more**

 **ForTheLoveOfShips ~ haha only one chapter per year**

 **Halebforever ~ I'll try and weave it in somehow**

 **Enjoy below...**

* * *

 **True Love**

 _On the fifth day of Christmas you asked me what's on my wishlist_

 _And I told you all I wanted was forever with my boo_

 _After six days in your arms, I got a tattoo on my heart_

 _Cause I'm your moonlight, you're my star and nothing's shining more than you_

* * *

 **2016**

Caleb couldn't help but roll his eyes as he walked past the shut door to the living room three days before Christmas Day. Hanna had grabbed a piece of paper, scrawled 'Do not enter' in her messy hand writing and then stuck it to the wood to send him a very clear message. He wasn't allowed in.

He got it, she was trying out wedding hairstyles with the girls (or something like that) and he wasn't supposed to see anything, but he also thought he'd taken time off work to spend Christmas with his fiancée… not to just stand off to the side whilst she freaked out about their wedding and every tiny detail _without_ him.

He considered stopping and sticking his head into the room, but the lamp that would probably be thrown in his direction if he did so made him continue walking, mooching down to the kitchen where he had every intention of making the most of a full fridge stocked by Ashley Marin for his lunch.

He'd just about located the mayonnaise when he heard an all too familiar voice yell, "Love it!" Before the door to the lounge clicked shut. This was his opportunity to find out what was going on and why exactly his original plans for the afternoon seemed to have been overridden.

"Hey," He said, making Spencer jump as she walked into the kitchen.

"God Caleb, you scared the crap out of me," The brunette held a hand to her chest, taking a moment to shoot him a glare before she carried on her route towards the sink to get some water.

"Sorry," He grinned, turning back to his sandwich, "So…" He tried, "What do you love?" Spencer sent him a confused look, slightly weirded out by his question, "You just said you loved something," He explained, "Through the door," He added, "To my fiancée who I haven't seen today."

"Wow," Spencer spluttered as she laughed, looking at Caleb in slight disbelief.

"So?" He looked at her expectantly, "What do you love?"

"Oh," Spencer batted him off, "It was just a page in a magazine."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because you know I'm lying?" She offered up, placing the glass back on the side. "Honestly Caleb," She said, "I can't tell you."

"I know you're looking at hair."

Spencer laughed suddenly at his comment and that's when he knew they'd all been drinking. "It's not just hair." He should have noticed the two empty bottles of prosecco on the side earlier.

"Spencer," Hanna stuck her head round the door and called for her friend, "I need you."

Caleb placed the knife in his hand down and stepped into the hallway, wanting to actually set his eyes on Hanna for the first time that day. There was very little he hated more than waking up without her in bed with him. "Hey."

"Caleb!" Hanna gasped, rushing out from behind the door and into his arms, "Hi," She smiled, throwing her hands around his neck.

"What are you doing in there?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist as Spencer slinked out of the kitchen and disappeared.

"Making sure our wedding is perfect," She smiled, pushing her lips onto his.

He kissed her back, running his fingers across her back before he pulled back to look her in the eye, "I thought we were spending this afternoon Christmas shopping for your Mom and Ted."

"What about me?"

"What about you?" He asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"My wishlist," She pouted as he held her close, "From Santa."

"We said we weren't doing presents this year," He reminded her, raising an eyebrow as he realized just how much of an affect the alcohol was having on her, "We're spending money on the wedding instead."

"And that's all I want," She grinned, nudging her nose against his, "Forever with you."

"That's what you're getting," He smiled, stealing a tender kiss. "But seriously, I didn't take time off work to not spend any time with you."

"We have spent time together," She frowned, squeezing his arm, "We had the final cake tasting yesterday and—"

"That's not about the wedding." He cut her off. She rubbed her lips together as she tried to think of a response but nothing came to mind as he continued his rant, "I can't sit down without pulling out a wedding brochure from underneath me."

"We've used our bed," Her eyes flared, "Without any brochures… And I can prove it now too."

"Really? With all your friends downstairs?"

"They'll understand."

"No," He laughed, shaking his head, "They won't."

Hanna pouted again, her hands moving up to cradle his cheeks as she pulled him down for a gentle kiss, "I can't wait to marry you," She whispered as he rested his forehead on hers, "And have every Christmas together."

"Marrying me isn't going to change that," He grinned, "I've spent every Christmas with you since we got together."

She sighed contently, running a hand through his hair, "Six years."

"Yep," He nodded, biting back a laugh, "That's how long we've been together."

"Six years and almost two months actually."

"Oh?"

"But it's okay if the two months don't matter to you."

"No," He bit his lip and shook his head, his eyebrows raising, "They definitely matter."

She grinned, pressing a sweet kiss against his lips, "You're sweet."

"Seriously," He looked at her pointedly, continuing his previous argument, "I want to spend time with you without worrying about whether the icing accents on the cake match the petals of the flowers in your bouquet."

She sighed, stroking his arms that he folded over his chest. Suddenly, the effects of the alcohol were gone and she missed him too, "I know," She said softly, looking down at the floor, "I know that," She repeated, "I just want it to be perfect."

"It will be," He reassured her, "I haven't let you take over our apartment with bridal magazines for the past twelve months for no reason," He comforted her, relaxing slightly as he reached out an arm to stroke her waist, "Whether you have your hair down or your nails are painted blue—"

"They're not going to be blue," She shot him a small smile, "They're going to be French…"

"And your hair's going to be up," He told her knowingly.

"How did you—"

"You've dog eared enough pages," He pulled her close again, "But it doesn't matter to me," He continued what he'd originally been saying, "All that matters is that you're there, at the end of the aisle, saying yes to marrying me."

She cupped his cheeks, her thumbs brushing over his cheekbones as she raised her lips to kiss him again, "I can't wait," She murmured, smiling as their mouths met once more.

"So can we please go Christmas shopping?" He tried, running a hand down to cup her butt. "Together," He squeezed, pointedly.

She sighed again, "Okay," She agreed, before her face screwed up in pain, "Why is Ted so hard to buy for?"

He leaned back on the countertop, holding her fingers in his hand, "That's the point of Christmas shopping," He grinned, "To spend a ridiculous amount of time finding that one present for a relative that you know they'll feign they love but actually never use." She looked unconvinced, "And you get to do it with me."

"Hanna," Emily came charging into the kitchen, searching for her friend, "Oh," She paused, "Caleb," She smiled, "I didn't realise you were here."

"Where else would I be?"

"I… don't know," She agreed, "Hanna," She turned to the blonde who had curled herself up in Caleb's arms, "We've found… _something else_ ," She gave her a look, not wanting to reveal anything in front of Caleb.

"Can you just mark it?" She asked, "I have some urgent stuff I need to do."

"I thought we were making final decisions on _things_."

"It can wait," Hanna smiled tightly, "We've spent every day since I got here making decisions."

"That's because you wedding is in six weeks—"

"And two days," Hanna cut her off, "I know it is. Trust me, I have a mental countdown clock."

"What are you two doing in there?" It was Aria's turn to charge down the hallway and make an appearance, "Or three of you," She correct herself when she spotted Caleb.

"Hey," He smiled at her, separating from Hanna to go back to his sandwich. He felt like he'd just had a minor victory with his fiancée.

"Are you guys coming back in?" Aria asked, looking between Hanna and Emily, "Spencer's just marked another five pages."

Hanna glanced back at Caleb before turning to her friends, "About that," She said, guiding both of them down the hallway, making sure she was out of earshot, "Caleb's feeling neglected," She whispered, tearing the sign down off the door that she'd stuck up that morning.

"He's _what_?" Aria frowned as Hanna shoved her inside the living room.

"He's feeling neglected," She said, slightly louder. "We said when we first got here at the start of the week that we'd go Christmas shopping today," She blinked her eyes shut, "And I forgot," She explained, quickly moving around the room to close up all the catalogues they'd had open, "And he's upset."

"Its Christmas shopping?" Spencer frowned, helping nonetheless.

"Yeah," Hanna sighed, shoving as many of the books as she could into her designated 'wedding' canvas bag, "But it's the stuff that he loves," She said, "The stuff he never got to do when he was growing up," She added, "And he's right, this Christmas should be about us being together right now, not how we'll be next year."

"Have you decided how much you're going to be in Rosewood before the wedding?" Emily asked, collecting their empty champagne flutes as Aria tidied up the cushions that had fallen off the sofa.

"Pretty much every weekend," Hanna told them, encouraging them back out into the kitchen, "It's going to be hectic not living in the same place you're getting married."

"Have you thought about moving back here?" Aria said as Emily headed straight for the sink with their glasses.

"We're thinking about it," Caleb interrupted as he finished off his lunch.

"Han!" Emily gasped, "Are you really?"

"Yes," Hanna laughed as the brunette pulled her in for a tight hug, "We said that after the wedding we need to decide where we want to be," She said, smiling over Emily's shoulder at Caleb as their gazes connected.

"Is it bad that I'm so excited for next year already?" Aria asked, sending a sweet smile in both Hanna and then Caleb's direction.

"No," Hanna shook her head, making her way over to her fiancée, "Because I am too."

"Me too," He whispered in her ear, "But first," He sent her a knowing look. "We need to go Christmas shopping."

Hanna turned helplessly to her friends, "What do you buy a church pastor when he already has a bible?"

"Hanna!" Spencer laughed, "You can't say things like that."

"Why?"

"You just can't."

"I have an idea," Caleb reassured her, stroking her side.

"My true love," Hanna sighed sarcastically, holding her chest, "My saviour."

"He'll be more than that in six weeks," Aria smiled as the girls moved to give her a final goodbye hug.

"I think I knew that after six days," She whispered in her ear, squeezing her tight.

"We all did."

"Han," Caleb ushered as she stood back and watched the girls show themselves out, moving down to the foyer. "Let's go. I want to go into town."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to her again, wrapping her arms around his neck to stop him going anywhere, "I really do have what I want."

"I know," He held her close, "But in February you'll get that and more."

Neither of them could wait. But first, they had Christmas shopping to do.

* * *

 **Review? xox**


	8. Santa Baby

**Soooo I said on twitter this wasn't going M, but then... well... my mind ran and I thought this was a pretty sweet idea. Finally, finally getting closer to precious baby Logan appearing - he make his first theoretical appearance below.**

 **Warning, heavy sexual content from the start.**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

 **Santa Baby**

 _Next year I could be just as good_

 _If you'd check off my Christmas list_

 _Santa baby_

* * *

 **2017**

"Wake up," Hanna smiled sleepily, her eyes still shut as Caleb's voice whispered in her ear, the arm around her waist squeezing her against him tightly, "It's Christmas."

"Mhmm," She cleared her throat and wetted her lips, shuffling onto her back so that she could gaze into her husband's eyes. They'd been married ten months and it still didn't get old. "Merry Christmas," She murmured, pursing her lips for a tender kiss, "What time is it?" She asked, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"It's 8," He replied, stealing her mouth again, "Mm," He moaned against her lips, his tongue probing for hers as he pinned her against the pillows, "I had this dream," He breathed, his lips dancing across her jawline, "That Santa dropped off my present."

"What did he get you?" Hanna teased, her toes running up Caleb's calf underneath the comforter.

"You," He said, his eyes pooling with heat, "Naked."

Hanna couldn't help herself, grabbing the edge of the covers and throwing them back to reveal herself, "You got me…" She trailed off, "Naked."

Not waiting a moment longer, Caleb pounced on her, climbing in between her legs as his mouth attached itself to her skin, "I knew I'd been good," He muttered as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Really good," He murmured, his lips caressing her neck as his hands found hers to tangle in.

He'd woken up semi-hard and now, settled in between her legs with his cock right over her wet heat, he could feel the blood heading in one direction and one direction only. So could she. "Caleb," She moaned quietly, her hands squeezing his.

"What?" He separated his lips from her neck momentarily, moving his hips up so that he began to press against her sex.

"Please," She whispered as he pulled back, pausing to admire the mark he'd made before his eyes bore into hers.

"You want this?" He teased her, drawing a groan as he pushed halfway into her before pulling all the way out.

"Yes," Hanna threw her head back, her eyes squeezed tight as he did it again. "That," She moaned loudly, squeezing him with her inner muscles as he tried to pull out again.

"You better ask Santa," He smirked, dropping his forehead onto hers.

"But I don't want his—"

"On second thoughts," Caleb cut her off, pushing all the way into her, loving the way her face conveyed all the pleasure she was feeling, "Not Santa," He grinned, letting go of her hand to hitch her leg up higher.

"Not Santa," She agreed, shaking her head at him, "Just my husband," She smiled before he pushed his lips onto hers, his tongue immediately searching for her own as they kissed and kissed.

"I love you," He murmured, his lips brushing over hers again before he grabbed her hips and rolled them over.

"Mmm," She smirked, pushing herself up on his chest so that she leant back against his bent knees, "I love _you_ ," She replied, her hands moving to her chest as she began to grind her hips slowly.

"Fuck," He grunted, his hands running to her thighs as she continued to gasp in front of him. "Han," He groaned, pushing himself up to steal her hands and mouth. He knew he wouldn't last long if he lay back and watched her go to town pleasuring herself. He swallowed her moans, holding her tight with an arm wrapped around her waist as she tangled her fingers in his hair.

"Oh god," She gasped, throwing her head back as his lips went back to the tender spot they'd been suckling on before. "Baby," She moaned, burying her nose in his neck as his hand dipped down to cup her arse that was still grinding on his lap. "I need…"

"This," He grunted, pushing her back so that he was in control again, their heads at the foot of the bed as he started to thrust into her faster, harder.

"That," She half-moaned, her hands running down his back and gripping at his hips before they settled on his lower back.

He stopped and sat back, sensing she was close. " _Caleb_!" He tried not to laugh at the indignant look on her face as he grabbed her legs and pushed them higher onto his shoulders.

"We're not doing things by half," He teased her, his thumb finding her clit as he began to pump hard and his other hand reached for her breast.

"Oh," She bit down on her lip hard, unable to control the throaty groan that erupted as she came around his cock. He dropped her legs from his shoulders, falling on top of her as he felt himself snap too, his hips moving by their own accord as he spilled inside her. "Santaaaa," She moaned, throwing her head back against the mattress as he slipped out of her and collapsed next to her.

"Merry Christmas," He grinned, reaching for her hand to kiss the two bands that adorned her ring finger.

"Screw sex on Christmas Eve, it's all about Christmas Day," She sighed contently, shooting him a smile before she moved her lips close to his for a gentle kiss.

"I'm pretty sure we can do both," He reassured her, pulling her close, "I can keep up."

"Hm," She teased him, "I'm not sure," She shook her head, a smile spreading across her face as he pushed his mouth onto hers to shut her up. "Okay, okay," She gave in when his lips began to search for the bruise he'd already created on her neck again, "You can keep up."

His hand ran down her naked stomach, rubbing her hip gently, "I'm so glad we have our own place now," He murmured as they settled, contently. They'd found the perfect house in Rosewood that Hanna had already turned upside down with her interior design ideas since they'd moved in six months ago. The time had flown by as they both settled into married life, but it felt like _home_.

"Me too," She agreed, "I'm glad we moved back here," She whispered, nudging her nose against his, "It's where I want to grow old with you."

"And have babies," Caleb said, kissing her softly.

"And have babies," She agreed, bringing a hand up to stroke his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," He murmured, stealing her mouth again.

She sighed, staring into his eyes when he pulled back. He sensed she was holding something back, but before he could ask her what was wrong, she lifting a hand to run through his hair soothingly, "I think we should have a baby."

If she expected him to be taken aback, she'd have been wrong. "I know," He smiled, his hand finding hers again so that he could rub his fingers over her wedding and engagement rings.

"Do you want a baby now?" She asked him softly, blinking heavily.

"Of course I want a baby," He murmured emotionally, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "It scares the crap out of me," He let out a nervous breath, "But..."

"You're gonna be a great Daddy," She soothed him, instinctively knowing what his fears were about. "I know," She blinked, trying to fight the tears that always welled in her eyes when she thought about his childhood. The thought of him being in pain would always tear her apart inside, "I know that you didn't have anyone," She swallowed as he looked down at the bedspread, "But you have so much love to give out," She whispered, stroking his cheek, "And I don't think I can be selfish with it for that much longer."

"You can always be selfish with it," He replied. She smiled at him. "So we're really doing this?" He asked, his hand on her hip again.

"I think we should," She said, her voice full of tenderness, "I want a baby with you."

"Me too," He grinned, the joy overriding the fear.

"We don't know how long it'll take," Hanna said, smirking at him under her heavy lids. "So we're going to have to have _lots_ of sex."

"I'm okay with that."

Hanna frowned for a moment, "What if I'm pregnant at Spencer's wedding?"

"Does it matter?" Caleb was prepared for the thump he received as soon as he opened his mouth, "I mean," He grinned, "Of course it matters, but they only _just_ got engaged – I don't think they'll be getting married for a couple of years." They both knew that if Spencer was going to marry Toby the Hastings way, then it wouldn't be a quick ceremony at Rosewood church.

"Hopefully they'll be here by then," She agreed, letting him press a kiss against her forehead before she finally made a move to get up and find her robe. He sat up and slung his legs over the end of the bed, watching her as she floated around their room.

"Hopefully," He murmured, holding a hand up for the pair of boxers she proceeded to fling at him. He pulled them on and held a hand out for her, encouraging her to come and stand between his legs, "I have one thing though," He said as she laced her fingers at the base of his neck, "No trying."

"We have to have sex to make a baby," She laughed.

"Trust me," He looked up at her, "I'm okay with that. But I don't want to start making love to make a baby."

She kissed him gently. He never failed to amaze her with the words that left his mouth and made her heart beat faster. "It'll never be that."

He connected their lips again, cupping her cheek with his hand as he tried to show her how much he loved her. He pulled back eventually as the need for air became too much, "Now what else did you ask for, for Christmas?" He tilted his head, toying with the tie on her robe, "I'm not sure if you've been _bad_ or good."

"Definitely good," She pouted, pulling him up and towards their door, "Santa's been delivering all year."

"Oh yeah?"

"New husband, new house," She said as they made their way downstairs, "He's done pretty good."

"I guess I should send all your presents back then."

"No," She whipped her head round to look at him, "They're mine."

He laughed, following her into the kitchen where they proceeded to make breakfast together, just the two of them, before her Mom and Ted came round for Christmas dinner later that day. It was everything both of them wanted for their first Christmas as husband and wife and more. And at the end of the day, as they cuddled on the sofa in front of the tree, Hanna promised herself she'd be good enough next year too – she had no doubt that if she was, Santa would check off everything on her Christmas list. Again.

* * *

 **Reviewwww?**


	9. Love Is Everything

**Yeah, I know, I disappeared. Life happened I guess. Finally though, here is chapter 9 where Hanna is very much pregnant with our little baby Logan.**

 **Not much to say other than one final chapter after this.**

 **Enjoy below...**

* * *

 **Love is Everything**

 _Give it all cause it's the season_

 _Spread lots of joy and lots of cheer_

 _If you need a cost, if you need a reason_

 _It's the gift that just won't disappear, won't disappear_

* * *

 **2018**

"I'm so excited," Emily Fields could hardly contain her emotions as she followed Hanna up the stairs in her Rosewood home, the smell of paint lightly permeating the air as it mixed with the scent of pine needles from the Christmas tree in the living room.

"It's only half done," Hanna glanced over her shoulder at her three best friends as they all hovered near a closed white door on the landing.

"Han," Aria pouted, "We know you're a perfectionist with this stuff," She tilted her head, "But we just want to see."

"Okay," Hanna sighed, placing her hand on the doorknob, "But we only decided on the paint colour two weeks ago."

"We don't care," Spencer smiled, giving the door a light nudge, "Come on," She practically begged.

"Fine," Hanna gave in, opening up the bedroom door to reveal a half-furnished nursery for the tiny baby Rivers that was currently housing itself within her tummy. "This is going to be their room."

"Oh my god," Emily sighed, moving over to the white crib that had been assembled and placed against a dark grey wall. "I love this," She grinned, reached for a wire that lit up a string of lights in the shape of a moon on the wall.

"It's a light Em," Aria sent her a knowing smile as she made her way round the mass of cardboard boxes in the centre of the room. "Not the eighth wonder of the world."

"Hey," Hanna said, "That light took me two months to find. I had to get it shipped from Europe."

"Of course you did," Spencer laughed, joining Emily at the crib. "Do you feel ready?" She asked, running her fingers along the white polished wood that stood tall against the wall.

"I'm five months pregnant," Hanna shot her a look, "Of course I don't feel ready."

"I can't wait til they get here," Emily smiled, moving across to Hanna who'd started fiddling with a photo frame on the dresser.

"Me either," She sighed heavily, "I just want everything to be perfect."

"I think they have Caleb's chin," Aria remarked, stealing the frame from Hanna's hands, squinting hard at the black and white ultrasound in the picture.

"You can hardly make it out!" Spencer practically shrieked, resting her chin on Aria's shoulder as they both stared at the blob on the paper.

"Caleb has a nice chin," Hanna said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as her other hand went to her belly, "They're kicking," She said softly, grabbing Emily's hand so that she could feel.

"Does it hurt?" Emily whispered, being as still as possible as her palm cupped Hanna's bump.

"No," Hanna smiled, rubbing her other side tenderly, "Not yet anyway. It just feels nice," She added gently, "Like they're reminding me they're here and want attention."

"My turn," Spencer said, nudging her hand underneath Emily's. "It kind of freaks me out that it's hard."

"What did you expect?" Hanna laughed, "You did biology."

"AP biology," She corrected as Hanna moved away and headed for the door, "Where are you going?"

"I have this thing for Aria that I just remembered," The blonde called, Spencer and Emily looking at Aria expectantly.

"I don't know what it is," She shrugged, rolling her eyes, " _Thing_ is not indicative," She added, following their pregnant friend across the hallway into her bedroom.

"I feel like I'm stepping into some intimate boudoir," Emily remarked, taking in the white walls and dark wood of Hanna and Caleb's bedroom.

"You've stayed in my room before," Hanna shot her a look over her shoulder before she returned to rifling through the bottom of her wardrobe.

"But that was your bedroom," She said, "With pink feathers on the wall. This is where you spend every night with your _husband_."

"We had sex in the pink-feather room too," Hanna replied, finally pulling out the box she'd been looking for. "These are some of the fabrics I looked at," She explained, "Remember I said I thought you'd like them?"

"Han, that was like 6 months ago," Aria laughed, accepting the box nonetheless.

"I think I'm nesting."

"Think?" A male-voice appeared at the door. Hanna looked over and couldn't help the smile that graced her face as her eyes settled on Caleb. He was killing her at the moment whenever he shot her _that_ grin. "Food's ready downstairs."

"Finally," Emily sighed, "I'm starving," She said, breezing past him with Spencer hot on her heel's.

"I'm gonna go put this in the car," Aria held up the box in her hands before disappearing out of the room too.

"Did I say something?" Caleb smiled, folding his arms across his chest as he leant against the doorway.

"Come here," Hanna held her hand out for him, the other on her bump as she felt their baby move beneath her skin.

He pushed himself up and made his way over to her, his hand automatically moving to rest next to hers on her stomach as the other stroked her waist. "They're moving a lot," He murmured, pressing his lips against her forehead.

Hanna smiled, looking down at his hand as it moved on top of her skin, "Next Christmas they'll be here."

"I better enjoy you whilst I've got you all to myself then."

"You better," She agreed, tilting her head for a gentle kiss.

"Guys!" Spencer yelled from the bottom of the stairs, unknowingly breaking them apart.

"Guess I'll have to share you for another couple of hours," He rolled his eyes, a smile still on his face as she nodded up at him. She stepped back from him, her fingers intertwining with his as she made a move towards the door. "Wait," He said, stopping her and making her look back, "Do you want to take the book down?" He asked, reaching for the baby name book that was on his bedside table. "I think we could do with the help."

"What are you talking about?" She sent him a knowing grin, biting her lip as she watched him stroke the black and white framed ultrasound he kept right next to the book he made them read through every night.

"How about the fact that every night when we go through another two pages there isn't a single name that you say yes to?"

"I'm waiting til I hear the perfect one," She said, holding onto his fingers as he led them downstairs. The smell of cinnamon hit her nose and she felt content as she took in all their friends sitting in their living room with plates full of food.

"Finally," Toby smiled, "We were beginning to wonder what you were doing up there."

Caleb rolled his eyes and encouraged Hanna towards the space on the sofa, "Go sit down, I'll grab you a plate."

"Whipped," Toby coughed under his breath.

"I heard that," Caleb yelled.

"What's your book, Han?" Aria asked, noticing the book Caleb had left with the blonde.

"Baby names," She sighed, passing it to her, "Caleb said we needed help," She explained, resting her head on Emily's shoulder as she waited for Caleb to reappear.

"She's saying no to every suggestion from me," Caleb caveated, reappearing with food as Aria opened up the latest dog-eared page.

"Do you have anything you like?" Spencer asked, receiving a blank look from Caleb in return, "Anything at all?" She tried again, reaching for her glass of wine.

"It's hard not knowing if it's a boy or a girl," Hanna defended herself, squeezing Caleb's arm gratefully as he handed her a plate and then sat down on the futon near the Christmas tree.

"Seriously," Aria sighed, "It's not within me to go for a white onesie as a Christmas present."

Hanna laughed as Ezra rolled his eyes. "We stood in the shop for 20 minutes as she decided whether a yellow duck or green frog was more appropriate."

"Isn't the point of a present that it's a surprise until you open it?" Spencer asked.

"Han needs to know the pain she's inflicting by refusing to find out the gender."

"Isn't it driving you mad?" Emily asked, reaching a hand out to touch her bump again.

"Not really," Hanna shook her head nonchalantly, placing her now empty-plate on the coffee table, "I want to do everything right," She said, "Perfect," She corrected herself, "And I just want them to come into the world with no expectations."

"Basically she wants a girl," Caleb said, gazing at his wife.

"I do not!" Hanna gawked.

"So you want a boy?" Spencer asked.

"No!"

"So you want neither?" Toby teased her, more than enjoying the look of indignation on Hanna's face.

"I want healthy," Hanna rolled her eyes, "Caleb's the one who's got his heart set on a boy."

"Not true."

"Then why are you claiming blue is a unisex colour every time we discuss the nursery?"

"I like blue," Caleb muttered, "And I'm pretty sure I spent the last week painting the wall grey."

"Seriously though," Aria stood up and moved to the present she'd placed under the tree. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"Girl kind of freaks me out," Caleb admitted, "I'm a boy, I know what a boy wants, how a boy thinks."

"Totally get you," Toby shook his head, reaching for his beer, "Girls are like this foreign being that just freak me out."

"And what am I?" Spencer looked at him with her mouth open.

"No," Caleb cut in, "He's right," He said as Aria handed Hanna her gift. "Like, I know Han inside out but it's different."

"How do you feel about a boy, Han?" Emily asked, squeezing her thigh as she tore open the silver wrapping paper.

"That he or she will look perfect in a white onesie with a duck on it," She smiled, holding up the tiny item of clothing Aria had bought. "This kind of feels like a baby shower."

"No," Spencer shook her head, "This will be nothing like your baby shower."

"I'm excited for it," Hanna sent her a grateful smile.

"This is our first baby," Emily practically squealed, "We're all excited for it."

"Our?" Caleb sat up straight. "Were you in the room when…?"

"It is our first baby," Emily pouted, standing up to grab the present she'd bought, "Don't kill my dream Caleb."

"Sorry," He muttered as Hanna shot him a look, "I'll expect them to come out having your eyes."

"Ha-ha," Emily rolled her eyes at Caleb as he stood up and moved over to the space she'd vacated on the sofa next to Hanna.

"Can you help with names?" He asked, draping a casual arm around the back of Hanna before Emily came over with her gift. "She might listen to your suggestions more than mine."

"When has Hanna ever listened to a suggestion?" Spencer said.

"I'm sitting right here," Hanna flung her arms out, hitting Caleb in the stomach.

"What about… Leonore?" Ezra piped up, his head buried in the baby name book.

"Is that for a boy or a girl?" Hanna asked as Caleb ran a hand through the back of her hair.

"A girl."

"No," Hanna shook her head, "It's too fancy."

"Nicholas?" Spencer asked, "In light of the date."

"No."

"Remington?"

"Any name where I have to ask you what gender it's for, is a no," Hanna screwed her face up at Aria.

"Kayla?" Emily threw out.

"Too 'A'."

"Benjamin."

"Too many nicknames."

"Melina?"

"Aria," Hanna rolled her eyes.

"You haven't considered a single name we've put out there, I thought I'd try something different."

"Finally, someone else feels my pain," Caleb murmured, letting Hanna grab his hand.

"Well," Ezra sighed, "You're at Liezel in the book," He said, handing it back to Caleb, "So you've got another 16 letters to go before you really are out of ideas."

"Are any of you guys up for midnight mass?" Hanna asked, prompting Caleb to throw his head back in disbelief. They'd had this conversation on what felt like twenty other occasions and he thought they'd both agreed they'd get an early night before heading round to Ashley's house in the morning.

"Are you even religious?" Spencer asked, a frown gracing her face.

"My mother is dating a pastor, Spencer," Hanna replied, cuddling close to Caleb's side.

"My Mom goes every year and she's never seen you there," Emily's voice trailed off.

"Everyone has to start somewhere," The blonde shrugged, rubbing her belly as the baby started to kick again.

"But… midnight mass. That's kind of throwing yourself into the deep end, Han," Aria sent her a gentle smile, "We should have gone to the family service instead."

"I think the baby will know if we go."

"Why?" Spencer fought a laugh.

"Because she's nesting," Caleb answered for her.

"Look," Hanna sighed, "I've already decided I want to go. I want the baby to feel like they're coming into a world surrounded by love and I think churches at Christmas are pretty good at that."

"Han," Spencer said softly, their eyes connecting, "I think they already know that. There's a lot of love in this room for our first baby."

"Again with the our?"

Spencer ignored Caleb's sarcasm, leaning into Toby's side. "Our love is gonna give you your first date night without a crying baby, so you should be grateful Caleb, not go into alpha male, I'm the Daddy role."

"Alpha male?"

"You went pretty alpha," Toby agreed as Hanna started to laugh, burying herself against Caleb's arm.

"I think it's pretty hot," Hanna murmured, craning her neck to connect their lips reassuringly.

"I can show you love," He whispered in return, a hand dropping to her thigh to squeeze teasingly. "And it doesn't involve a church."

"We can hear you," Emily interrupted, "We don't need to envisage how the baby got in there in the first place."

Caleb shot her a grin, relaxing back against the sofa as he took in the people around them. Right now, as Hanna continued to justify why all her friends had to go with her to midnight mass, he got why Hanna wanted love and warmth to be the most important thing that Christmas. He felt it too. With a baby on the way, love really was everything.

* * *

 **One more chapter and my goal is to get it up before the end of January... 2 days... time for baby Logan to make an appearance. Review? xox**


	10. Christmas & Chill

Well, a little later than planned we're here. This was bittersweet to write as I've enjoyed delving into this pre-growth Haleb so much and god, Caleb with baby Logan is just everything. Thanks Ariana for writing and producing Christmas & Chill, this story wouldn't exist without it.

Thank you for every single review. For one final time in this story, enjoy.

* * *

 **Christmas & Chill**

 _Welcome to this Christmas_

 _Only comes one time of year, don't miss this_

* * *

 **2019**

At 25 years of age, Hanna Rivers had never looked forward to Christmas quite so much. If she'd said that to any of her friends over the past week, they'd have called her crazy and deluded; her washer had broken down flooding the kitchen, Caleb had been stranded in California for two extra nights because of a freak storm and she'd had absolutely no sleep because her baby boy was teething.

But that was exactly why she couldn't wait for the Christmas festivities to kick in; she had a baby boy. And at seven months old, Logan Nathaniel Rivers was everything Hanna and Caleb could have ever hoped for. He was such an easy-going baby; always happy to go with whatever flow they were following, willing to sleep absolutely anywhere and never crying when there was nothing wrong. Which is why the past week had been so difficult; with Caleb away, Hanna had spent every night trying to soothe Logan as he cried in pain from the two tiny teeth that were trying to push through his sore gums.

But they seemed to be over the worst of it – he'd slept through the night like he normally did the previous night and Hanna hadn't woken up to a blubbering mess wanting cuddles. Well… he still wanted cuddles every morning but there was no screaming involved. Her sweet boy seemed to be back to his usual self as he babbled over the baby monitor at 7am.

Hanna turned it off as quickly as possible, not wanting to disturb Caleb who had only landed yesterday morning, stressed and upset about how long it had taken him to get home. He was tired and so she pressed a gentle kiss against his bare shoulder before climbing out of bed and letting him sleep as she went to get Logan.

"Hi bubba," She cooed, moving into his perfectly decorated nursery, across the light carpet to the crib against the wall. "Hi," She grinned as Logan smiled up at her, waving his arms and kicking his legs in excitement, "You're so happy," Hanna murmured, scooping him up into her arms and holding him against her chest, "Shall we go downstairs and you can have breakfast?"

Logan babbled and clung onto her pajama top as she carried him downstairs and into the living room, propping him on his play mat so that she could go round and turn on all the Christmas lights. Logan sat there, watching her for a moment before his face started to quiver and he burst into tears and started reaching for her, "Hey, hey," She tried to soothe him as she reached for the switch for the lights on the mantelpiece, "What's wrong?" She asked, finally picking him up again before she settled herself on the sofa with his blanket.

He quietened down as she let him nurse, stroking his foot as he guzzled as much milk as he could. Hanna loved these moments with him, where she could just hold him close and enjoy the peace as the soft flashing lights bounced off the walls. "Are you done little man?" She asked tenderly as he stopped eating, lying in her arms contently as she readjusted her top. "You are? Shall we play instead?" She said, moving to place him on his play mat again. But he whined and fussed until she sat back down again with him and kept him in her arms; he was clearly still a little cranky. "I know what we can do," She whispered in his ear, seating him on her lap so that she could reach forward and grab his new favourite book that Caleb had bought him at the start of the month, "We can read this," She cooed, opening up the touchy-feely book that was all about Christmas.

Logan was obsessed with it, particularly the page that had a velvet Santa hat on it for him to touch to his heart's content. And it kept him entertained until she moved them into the kitchen, strapping him into his high-chair and placing a few toys of on his tray so that she could make breakfast.

Logan was finally okay with not being in Hanna's arms, alternating between chewing on his toy and banging it on the plastic table as he watched Hanna move around the kitchen. "Mababa!" He yelled before shoving his toy straight back in his mouth.

"Are you hungry?" Hanna asked, giving the pan on the stove one more stir before she made her way over to her baby boy and pressed a gentle kiss against his face. He squealed and grabbed onto her face, smiling as she kissed him again. "It's special Christmas porridge," She murmured, making her way back over to the hob, "And Daddy can have some too when he wakes up because he'll be hungry too."

She got caught up in the food again, reaching for some crockery before a sleepy voice caught her by surprise. "Hey baby," Caleb murmured, his voice full of sleep as he appeared in the doorway with a tired smile on his face, "Something smells good," He said, wiping his eyes with the palms of his hand as he made his way over to her.

"It's Christmas porridge," She smiled as he pressed a kiss against the side of her face.

"Bagaga!"

"He wants you," Hanna murmured, turning off the stove before she watched Caleb bend down to kiss their baby.

"Hi bubba," Caleb cooed, starting to unstrap Logan from his chair as he kissed him.

"No," Hanna stopped him, "You can feed him instead. Don't get him out."

"Okay," He agreed, pressing one final kiss against the baby's face before he sat down and pulled Logan's chair close. "You hungry?" He smiled, stroking his face as Logan shoved his toy in his mouth and chewed.

"Here," Hanna placed a small bowl in front of him alongside a larger one, "Apple and cinnamon porridge."

"Hey Logi," He started, tasting a bit of the food before he scooped some onto Logan's spoon and held it up close to his mouth, "Is that good?" He asked as the baby opened his mouth and chewed on the food.

Hanna fought a grin as she watched them and ate her breakfast, feeling her stomach clench as Logan smiled straight at Caleb. Her boys loved each other so much. Logan shrieked as Caleb fed him, paying him enough attention to satisfy him as Caleb continued to eat his own breakfast at the same time until they were finally done and she cleaned up whilst Caleb wrestled with wiping Logan's face.

"Hey," Caleb murmured as Logan began to scrunch his face up angrily, "We're all done," He said, unstrapping him and scooping him into his arms, "Hi," He whispered, cupping the back of his head tenderly as he smiled at him, "I seriously missed you and Mama."

"You saw your Mom though," Hanna said, glancing over her shoulder at the pair of them as she washed up.

"Yeah," Caleb sighed, "It was really nice," He agreed, "But the last two days were just stressful."

Hanna smiled as she placed the final bowl on the side, drying her hands before she made her way over to them and wrapped her arms around Caleb's shoulders, "I seriously missed having someone here so I could get more than an hour's sleep."

"He was that bad, huh?" Caleb watched his son as he chewed voraciously on his toy.

"He definitely was," Hanna muttered, standing back up straight to finish tidying up the kitchen. "But," She smiled to herself, "He's got his first teeth, so I guess it's all worth it."

"Logi," Caleb bounced him on his chest, kissing his forehead gently, "Can you show me your teeth?" He asked, gently pulling his toy from his mouth. "He's getting so big," Caleb all but pouted, brushing the baby's hair at the back of his head. "I'm gonna take him next door so that we can play," He muttered before he was out of the kitchen before Hanna could even open her mouth. She finished up, wiping down Logan's chair and the table that turned into a crazy mess every time they fed the seven-month-old.

She finally made her way back out to the living room, smiling as she found Caleb sat with Logan right next to the Christmas tree, pointing out the lights and baubles that they'd placed near the bottom so that Logan could see them properly when they were playing in the living room. "Logan," She heard Caleb murmur, "Look at this one," He pointed out the silver 'L' decoration that hung from one of the bottom branches. "Daddy got it you from Cali."

"He was staring at it all of yesterday afternoon," Hanna interrupted them gently, settling herself on the sofa so that she could simply watch them together.

Caleb smiled at her, shifting his body so that he could look at her whilst also keeping a hand on Logan's back as he sat up, "He definitely needed to have his first ornament," He said, "Although, I think he's more interested in his giraffe," He added, stroking his hand up and down as Logan continued to chew on the toy.

"He's just ready for his nap," She reassured him, starting to laugh as Logan fell forward onto his hands, his eyes drooping shut as his mouth began to move slowly.

"Whoa," Caleb laughed with her, pulling Logan into his arms, "You wanna play until the very end right?" He said softly, kissing his forehead as he stood and moved to settle them next to Hanna.

"He's missed having you here," She whispered, cuddling up close to them before she began to gently stroke Logan's back, "Daddy's cuddles are the best, aren't they?" She murmured gently as the baby sighed deeply and gave up his toy, gripping Caleb's t-shirt instead as he settled his head over Caleb's heart.

"This was the longest I've been away from him," Caleb said, playing with Logan's tiny toes before his hand moved up to hold him close. "I hated it."

"You're here now," Hanna reassured him, tilting her head for a gentle kiss, "And we have 72 hours of just us before Santa's come and we have to share him with every single one of our friends and family."

Caleb sent her a wry smile, "Why did we have to be the first ones to have a baby?"

"He's worth the pain of sharing him," She said, giving Logan's cheek a tender stroke as his eyes dropped shut, his little mouth hanging open as he drifted off into the land of sleep.

"He's worth everything," Caleb agreed, craning his neck to take in Logan's cherubic face.

"Every single Christmas present that's on our credit card?"

Caleb rolled his eyes, stealing her mouth again, "Every single one," He agreed, "Even if he's only gonna play with each toy for 10 seconds."

Hanna propped her head in her arm as she rested it on the back of the sofa, "How many things did you buy him in Montecito?" She teased him, dropping her hand to run through the back of Caleb's hair.

"I was with my Mom," He tried to defend himself, "It's her first grandchild."

"That wasn't what I asked," She grinned, resting her forehead on his, "You spoil him just as much."

He nudged his nose against hers, "Have you seen his face?"

"I stare at it every day," She shook her head, sending him an knowing look, "I know exactly what he does to you."

Caleb pulled back and they both turned their heads down to Logan again, smiling as he contently napped on Caleb's chest. "10 years ago I never thought I'd be here," Caleb whispered, "I was spending Christmas on a park bench," He rolled his eyes at himself before he blinked them shut to block out the pain, "But I was 10 months away from meeting you."

"But we are here," She laced her hands through the back of his hair, "We made it."

"And I can't wait for the next 10 years," Caleb murmured, his hand naturally resting on Logan's back as the other cupped Hanna's chin, "But right now, there are only two things I wanna do with you and with him."

Hanna smiled, pressing her lips onto his again. She knew exactly what he was talking about; "Christmas and chill."

* * *

 **Fin.**


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